Max Steel Novel: Storm Fury
by Tower of Babel
Summary: Max Steel faces his greatest foes in a battle for the world! With John Dread orchastrating a masterplan, Team Steal must face a collective group of mercenaries, including Psycho, to foil a worldwide plot! COMPLETE!
1. College Life Blues Rewrite

****

STORM FURY - PART 1

It was one of those days when nothing ambitious or highly criminal was happening in the world, or at least nothing that needed the heroics of Max Steel, N-Tek's greatest agent.

John Dread was locked up in a maximum security prison for a second time after trying to blow up N-Tek island. Psycho was missing and presumed dead after trying to hijack a 747 Military transport carrier transporting weapons to United States troops in Iraq in mid-flight. He failed to take possession of the weapons due to the collective effort of Team Steel. The crew was rescued before the plane went down, crashing into the Atlantic Ocean, and Psycho went down with the plane.

But Josh did not count Psycho out. He had survived worse things like the searing heat of an active volcano and falling down a deep gorge. Any normal person would have been killed instantly. But Psycho was restless and he was a Cy-borg, so that played in his favor. Since then he had not been seen.

And in the midst of this lull Dr. Berto Martinez was at a computer console in the command centre of N-Tek headquarters running a systems-wide diagnostic of the base weapons systems. Nothing Berto did surprised Josh. He had all this time to relax and instead spent it working. He had to take Berto out on the town one of these days, have a few drinks, meet some girls… and let nature take its course. Berto was young, but had the disposition of a clergyman. There was a saying: work to live, live to work. Berto was both.

Josh McGrath, on the other hand, was hard at work on a college term paper due soon. There may not have been any action for his alter ego Max Steel, but the student in him was not reaping the benefits of having the time off from saving the world. It was just one of those days when procrastination was not an option. He had to get this term paper done or his History professor was going to flunk him. And that would be a disaster. He had to pass with at least a B average or his father threatened to get him a tutor and then there would certainly be no time to fool around, and he would have to take summer school just to get the grade.

But there was this one movie he had seen where this teenager flunked French and his father got him a teacher for the summer. He did not want to study. But in the movie the teacher and student had a passionate fling and at the end the student passed his summer school course with one of the highest marks in the class. But that was just a movie and with his life as it was that could never happen to Josh.

His term paper was on the War of 1812 and he wanted to put a fresh new-never-thought-of angle into his work that would blow his professor away so he was at least assured a passing grade, but the hardest part was getting it finished and the fact-of-the-matter was he had no clue where he went wrong. He had done the research, written his thesis, written down his three main paragraphs, and a conclusion, but for some reason it lacked something. It did not have the punch he wanted to deliver. He had read it over several times and it sounded so bland.

"This'll never fly," he said to himself, sitting at the computer screen in his private quarters at N-Tek HQ. His quarters were furnished and it felt like a home away from home. But he preferred his bungalow on the lake. He was only here because Jefferson wanted him here so he can keep an eye on Josh and do his paper.

He could normally whip up an essay easy with all the material in front of him. And he had written one, but it was not enough. It was not something that could clench him the grade. But it was not his fault that he missed so many classes and depended on this paper to make or break him. It was his double life that caused his school life to suffer, not that he was complaining. He loved battling terrorists and saving the world. But it cost him his social life, and what good was it doing him? Sometimes he felt like dropping out of school and working as a secret agent full-time. But his father insisted that all his agents have a well-rounded education, and that went double for his son. Or rather his adopted son. Josh's real parents were dead.

But he was a smart guy and he knew he could do this. He had never quit when faced with a challenge before and was not going to start now. So he went back and did some research on the internet, hoping he could find something that would trigger inspiration. But nothing jumped out at him. And before long he found himself playing a computer game online to take some of the tension away. Sometimes a little distraction helped the mind focus better.

An hour passed, then two, and suddenly he had found that he had been playing the game for three hours. It was an addictive game. People from all around the world entered this cyber environment online choosing characters from a long list and you had to beat these levels to get to the main villain who controlled the lives of every person on the face of the planet. It was not any different than what he did in real life, but in the game and in defeating enemies you could pick up weapons and gear to get to the end faster. He played this masked god-like figure with a large Thor hammer. And when he slammed it on the ground the earth shook violently and generated an energy displacement field that killed all enemies around him. It was one of the most powerful weapons in the game and he had bought from a black-smith in a small rural town for one hundred million credits. Paying that much almost wiped him clean of credits but it was worth in the long run. He was as aggressive in the game as he was in real-life and destroyed his enemies in similar fashion. And at last he had made it to the final level. All he had to do was defeat War Hammer, the powerful god at the end of the game, and he would beat it. Something he had never done before. He had never gotten this close before. Either Jefferson called him or there was some other emergency and he had to leave the game. But this was it. Nothing was going to hold him back. He was going to beat it this time.

Suddenly the screen blinked out and the monitor went black. "Wha--? N-no way! Berto!" he shouted.

"Josh," Berto answered through Josh's wrist communicator. "What's the matter?"

"What did you do?"

"Do what? What did I do?"

"That's my question. My personal quarters just went dark."

"I'm done with the system-wide diagnostic of N-Tek Island's weapons system and now I've moved on to other less importance systems. I have clearance from Jefferson. I had to shut down a few non-essential systems to complete the task. But it won't take long. Sorry if I disturbed you."

Josh was infuriated that he lost all the data from the game he was playing. He did not even have time to save it before his room went dark. Now he would have to start from his last save point and that was no where close to where he was. But he had to calm down. He could not tell Berto that he was right in the most important game of his life because he was supposed to be working on his college term paper.

Berto then asked. "Were you doing anything important at the time of the blackout?"

Josh bit his lip. "Nothing too important." _Just saving the world -- that's all!_

Josh's wrist communicator beeped and Jefferson Smith broke into the conversion. "Josh," he said. "I need you in the command centre right away. We have a problem. I'll explain when you get there."

Josh rushed out of his quarters and to the elevator that lead to the Second Floor. On his way up he transformed into Max Steel. He went down a long hallway and entered the command centre. Here he found Berto, Kat, and his father all standing around the main computer monitor. On the screen was a picture of John Dread and pictures of holes in Corieth Maximum Security Prison where Dread was imprisoned.

"No way!" Max immediately said when he saw what was on the screen.

"Yes way," Jefferson said back. "Thirty minutes ago someone attempted to break John Dread out of prison, but due to the valiant efforts of prison security the attempt was forted and the assailant fled. Fortunately the situation has come under control and John Dread is still locked up. But I want you and Kat to investigate this prison break-in and to come up with any leads to who this person is and where he or she is now."

"We're on our way."

To be continued. . .


	2. Attack On Corinth Prison Rewrite

**__**

STORM FURY - PART 2

It took Max & Kat about fifteen minutes to travel from N-Tek Island to Corinth Maximum Security Prison on the outskirts of Del Oro Bay. The prison was situated on a high cliff overlooking the ocean below.

They landed on the roof of the prison in Hawk I and were greeted by the warden of the prison, Warden Henry Brawls. He was an average sized man in his late fifties, thick dark hair, with patches of white at his temples. This was a man with an awful lot on his mind it looked and had even more to deal with in his job. But the name Brawls struck Max as kind of unusual for a prison Warden; in a prison a warden wanted to try to avoid any brawls from the prisoners. But that was just Max's twisted sense of ironic humor. "Mr. Steel, Ms. Ryan, thank you for coming," the warden said. "We were told of your coming only a few minutes ago." He had an American-German accent, and from the records supplied to Max and studied during the flight in Hawk I on their way to the prison the man could speak both English and German quite fluently.

Warden Brawls escorted them to an elevator that took them down several floors beneath ground level. Here was maximum security, and in its sub-level vaults were some of the worse scum imaginable. Max had even caught a few of these hell spawn in his two years as an agent of N-Tek.

"We managed to scare away the assailant who attempted to break John Dread out of prison, and as soon as it happened we knew it was best to contact Jefferson Smith immediately, due the nature of the prisoner involved," he added. "We have John Dread locked up tight now."

"Did any one get a look at this person?" Kat asked, as Warden Brawls lead them down a metal catwalk passing an interlocking array of others that lead to prisoners cells. They finally made it to John Dread's. He was within a fully reinforced stainless steel cell with energy bars.

"Yes," Warden Brawls said. "One of the injured security force members who fought off the assailant did. We're getting a sketch right now."

"Why would someone brake into a highly sophisticated, state-of-the-art, maximum facility state prison and not do what he came to do?" Max wondered. "Seems awfully strange."

"That's what I thought," Warden Brawls said. "And from what I was told he was able to control electricity with the help of two lightning rods. And its puzzling, when he reached the sub-level one he just stopped."

"As if he was just toying with you," Max said. "Hum_."_

"What's your theory, Max?" Kat asked.

"I don't have one, not yet."

Warden Brawls took them to John Dread's cell and Max and Kat stopped at the energy bars, and looked at the man who over the years had caused them and N-Tek so much unpleasantness. He was sitting in his prison fatigues and had his wrists manacled for security reasons. Until the Warden gave the okay that everything was fine, here he would stay.

It was definitely him, the large scar across his left eye was unmistakable. Max remembered when Dread got that scar. His escape plane lost power and crashed into its hanger when one of his hideouts was one fire and exploding. It was also the mission when he lost a beloved friend, a fellow and long-time agent, who was funneling N-Tek secrets to Dread from inside. They found the double-agent's body in the rubble weeks later when N-Tek combed through it, but Dread was no where to be found. Dread then tried to wreak his revenge again N-Tek by blowing N-Tek Island up, but his plan backfired, and he ended up here.

Now, as Dread sat on his bunk, the once powerful terrorist leader seemed subtle and a lot less of a threat. But there was something about him that disturbed Max, the man was smiling. And not just a thin, retty smile, but a I-know-something-you-don't-know smile. He looked undressed without his dark, mysterious glasses, but they were not part of the dress code. "Ah Mr. Steel, how delightful it is for you to come visit me," Dread said pleasantly, despite his current housing. "But I believe it's customary to be removed from one's cell for visitations."

"Can it Dread," Max said, his tone a combination of annoyance and anger. "Who was the guy who tried to break you out?"

"Break me out? Whatever do you mean? I'm still here. I saw no one."

"You know what I mean."

"I'm afraid I don't, Mr. Steel. I've been locked up in this drab, concert looking prison for nearly a year, and I have you thank for that." Dread then looked at Max's female companion. "Hello my dear, we have not been formerly introduced. My name is John Dread."

John Dread was right. He had never seen Kat. Rachel was always with him. But now that Rachel had been promoted and moved to Washington on a new assignment, Kat had taken over as Max's new field partner. But that had been nearly a year, and it was hard to believe that Dread's contacts on the outside never informed him of her. Max believed Dread was playing the innocent choirboy, which he was far from.

"I know who you are, Dread," Kat replied courteously.

"Then you have me at a disadvantage, Ms.?" Dread said back.

"Kat."

"Kat. One who prowls at night."

"Wrong cat. It's short for Kathryn."

"Enough of this chit-chat, Dread," Max broke in.

"You are so impatient, Mr. Steel. Just like your father when he was an agent under my administration. Is college life getting you down?"

Max scowled at Dread. Dread knew his secret and his alter-ego as Josh McGrath. But he did not tell anyone other than Psycho. But it was Psycho who had first broke into the labs on N-Tek Island and fired the blast at the experimental containment vessel that housed the tiny nano-probes that later joined with Josh's body, turning him superhuman. But with Psycho dead, Dread was the only one who carried the secret.

But Dread was a man with many secrets and this was one he enjoyed keeping under his belt. He once tried to blackmail Max and demanded a sample of the nano-probes by kidnapping Josh's friend, Pete. But his plan failed once Max rescued Pete from an abandoned coal mine rigged to explode and turned over Dread's rather cool looking sports car as he tried to escape. Pete Akostis knew Josh's secret, but he was keeping a tight lip about it. Max had given him two choices: complete mind eraser or Pete could keep Josh's other identity secret. Pete chose to keep it.

Suddenly the prison alarms blared and the roof opened up, metal ripping away at the seams like a sardine can, and out from the opening came a man who floated on air, charged with enough electricity to run a small rural town. The man had thick blonde hair and was bare-chested. On his chest looked like two lightning bolt scars, that started from his face and stopped just short of his hip bones in perfect alignment.

The prison guards on the level fired at him, but he made quick work of their weapons and them, sending a charge of high voltage electricity and electrocuting them instantly. Security forces raced onto the level from the elevator and fired from above though the hole, but the man looked to be invisible and did the same thing to them like the others.

The man landed on an upper catwalk overlooking John Dread's prison cell. His flight looked to Max that this new villain could control magnetism. The man spread his hand in majestic fashion as if he was a god coming down from heavens for a visit. He looked to be holding two lightning rods, just like Warden Brawls said the description of the assailant was carrying when he attacked the prison before. This was definitely the guy they were looking for. But this was no god. This, Max thought, was yet another master criminal he was about to add to his long list.

"Good evening gentleman, and lady," he said, looking down at them. He then looked directly at Max. "You must be Max Steel," he added. "I've heard so much about you from a close acquaintance of ours. He's asked me to deliver this to you. I hope you accept it graciously."

And with a sudden thrust of one of his lightning rods he sent down a lightning bolt in Max's direction. Max pushed Warden Brawls out of the way and smothered Kat as the hot lightning bolt struck at the precise spot he once stood. Max looked back at the spot and it smoked from the strike. He then looked up at this man, whom he quickly nicknamed Fire Bolt. But that was obviously not his name, or maybe it was, he could not tell these days with so many master criminals coming out of the woodwork. All these weirdoes had to have a fancy name these days. In any case after that attack Fire Bolt suited him quite well.

Max spoke to Kat. "Kat, you take Warden Brawls and get yourself outta 'ere. I'll take care of this lunatic. Whatever his reason for breakin' Dread out, I can't lett'em do it!"

"We'll do it together, Max, we're a team after all," she said. And Berto agreed with her sentiments speaking through the bio-link in Max's ear. "You attack him from the right and I'll hit his flank." She added. "Warden Brawls," she spoke to him softly. "When I give the signal run as fast as you can towards the elevator and rally more of your forces."

The warden nodded. An when Kat gave him the signal he ran to the elevator as both she and Max met Fire Bolt on the catwalk. Max jumped using his Max powers while she climbed the latter, reaching the level a few seconds after Max. Then they cornered Fire Bolt, trapping him in between them.

Fire Bolt chuckled, finding their effort amusing. "If you really think a double team is going to improve your chances of victory then you're sadly mistaken. I'm not the sort of guy who runs."

"Surrender now or we'll do it the hard way," Max told him.

He smirked. "Your threats are meaningless to me," he said. "There's no one on this planet who is a match for me. But in the off-chance you don't believe me, allow me to provide you with a little demonstration of my power. Trust me, you'll get a charge out of this."

He dropped his arms at his side as if giving into their demands, but then he squeezed his lightning rods tight, and from their rounded conductors fired out an electrical current and used the catwalk as a conductor, electrocuting them. The agents screamed as he delivered a minimum 1,000 volt charge through their bodies, and froze them in place to sustain the charge for a ten second duration before letting them go. After the charge ended, Max and Kat collapsed to the metal grating.

__

"Max!" Berto shouted, but Max could not hear him. Both he and Kat were unconscious.

"Such an enlightening experience, don't you think?" He then turned and looked at John Dread in his cell. "Stand back from bars," and he sent a electrical charge through the air towards the control panel on the side of his cell, breaking the circuit. The energy bars disappeared and John Dread emerged from his cell as a free man.

"Thank you," he said.

"Shall I destroy them?"

"No, leave them alone," John Dread said. "Their time will come soon enough. I wish to leave this crude, dank prison, and retreat to a more welcome environment. No doubt the warden will return with reinforcements soon. Care to assist me?"

"I wasn't hired for my good looks," the other man said, smirking thin. He then used his master over magnetism and hovered down to John Dread's level. "Here, put this on." He pulled out a piece of clothing from a shoulder bag he had brought with him and handed John Dread a jumpsuit made of rubber. "It's so you don't get electrocuted."

"My associate on the outside thought of everything," John Dread said, and slipped it on, and it covered him from head to toe.

Shouts from the other prisoners on the level wanting to go with him started, and were becoming louder and louder, but John Dread paid them no mind and stood within the other man's reach ready to embark.

Around them the man began to generate an energy bubble made of super-conducted electricity, and it gulfed them, creating a perfect sphere of electrical current. Spikes of electricity danced around the outer wall creating a barrier of protection for its two occupants, as they were bombarded by laser fire by prison security forces, as it rose through the opening in the roof, though the levels of the prison, and outside.

John Dread looked down at the prison and gazed in awe at the feat that befell him. Laser fire hit the bottom of the energy bubble and was absorbed into its matrix, actually increasing its strength. It felt like watching the world through a plastic bubble. And he was amazed at how safe but also insure he felt right now.

If his newest associate lost his power or choose to cause the energy bubble to dissipate Dread would fall to his death and there was would nothing to break his fall. But the man beside him controlled this power with such mastery he had no fear of that. And it was a power he had to have in his organization when first he heard of the man's gift, or rather unfortunate accident. The man had been hit by lightning and it altered his DNA. He was able to absorb the electrical current in the air and bend it to his will. A remarkable ability indeed.

Before they left, Dread watched on as the other delivered heavy damage to the prison, sending attacks of fortified electricity with one of his lightning rods. One of his blasts was so intense that it caused the metal composition of the outer wall that enclosed the prison closest to the cliff overlooking the ocean to melt, opening up a large V-shape in its wake. But there was no fear in the other prisoners escaping. They could if they wanted to and fall to their death to the water below. But there was no reason for this attack.

"I think you've had your excitement," John Dread said. "Your power is great, but let us use it in a more constructive manner."

"I'm only having a little fun," the other said. "It's rare that I have such an open opportunity for violence and destruction. I'm used to more restricted venues. My last employer was so un-fun."

John Dread chose his next words wisely, because it was not a good idea to upset this man especially when he controlled his life right now. But despite the situation Dread was in charge, and if the man did not do what he was told he would not get paid. "Enough," he said. "You've proven you're a god among insects. I'm sure they regret matching head-to-head with your power. Now take us to the coordinates you were told."

"Yes sir," the other said, a little annoyed that he was being denied this tiny pleasure. But he was paid to do a job, and he commanded the energy bubble to leave the prison airspace and move towards the coordinates specified in his contact by the people who hired him.

To Be Continued. . .


	3. Agent Down!

III

"Max! MAX!"

Berto Martinez shouted at Max using his bio-link as a relay, and from the overwhelming loudness of his voice and the electronic interference caused by such a high decibel level, it was enough to jolt Max awake.

Max covered, slapped, his ears with his hands as if doing so would shut out the noise. But then he realized it was a futile move because Berto's voice was coming from within.

"I hear ya, bro!" Max shouted over the ringing in his ears. "Stop shouting in my ear!"

"Sorry, Hermano," Berto said. "I've been trying to contact you ever since Tempest touched you. . . You were out like a light, Max. I've alerted the prison EMS to the situation and they're on their way. I'm also en-route in Hawk II with a PTR. You're low on t-juice."

"So that's why I feel shitty." He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a heavy moan. "My muscles feel like rubber. Every move I make feels like a new and wonderful experience," he said sardonically.

"Ten thousand volts just went through your body, Hermano," Berto said. "I imagine you won't feel like yourself for a few hours. Dread's new ally is able to utilize electricity much like Woody, Electrix's father; but uses his own body as a conduit. He even seems to be in complete control of the forces he commands with little need for mechanization."

"Are you alright, Max?" He heard Jefferson ask. Jefferson Smith was back at N-Tek headquarters, communicating via the command centre.

"Nothing a little T-Juice wouldn't fix," Max said, and rolled onto his stomach, facing the steel grate of the catwalk. "I think."

Max gently got to his feet and clutched the railing of the catwalk for support because every muscle in his body tingled with a weird sensation of numbness caused by electrocution. He had been electrocuted before by Electrix, and it was not a pleasant experience.

"Where's Kat?" Berto asked. "I haven't been able to reach her by radio."

"Dunno," Max replied, trying to focus on where he was, trying to ignore the overwhelming sensation of pin prickle in his muscles.

The sensation felt similar to when his foot fell asleep after it rested in a position for a very long time without blood flow, then all of a sudden blood rushing back into circulation when he tried to move it. Only this pain felt a thousand times more intense.

Max pulled himself along the railing of the catwalk. He used his upper body as his main strength of support because for whatever reason, he wasn't verse in human physics, his upper body was able to absorb more of the pain to a certain degree than his lower body. But that didn't make the pain any less bearable. He cringed with every step he took, until eventually he reached the ladder of the platform.

"Kat!"

He called out casually, believing she would respond with some flippant, callous remark like she always did when he did something stupid. But she didn't reply.

"Kat!"

He called out to her again, and again got no response.

He looked down the ladder and gasped as he saw her laying unconscious below. Her motionless body sprawled out like she was dead. It was a horrible thought.

"Get the paramedics down here NOW! Kat's down!"

He jumped down three meters and landed on his feet beside Kat. Crouching down, he checked her pulse. It was weak, but she was alive. That was a relief.

"What's her condition, Max?" Jefferson asked.

"Unconscious, with a serious burn to her face," Max said.

Kneeling down beside her, Max rested her head on his thigh and tried to make her comfortable. "Where are those damn paramedics!"

"Take it easy, Max," Jefferson said, trying to calm him. "Berto contacted them, they're on their way."

And as if on cue the elevator doors sprang open and the prison paramedics rushed out onto the level, hauling a stretcher behind them. There were five paramedics and they split their number to give care to the injured. Some of the security guards were dead.

"Your partner advised me of the situation," the Warren said, speaking to Max, as he stood above Kat Ryan, who was being treated by a male EMS technician. "We got here as soon as we could. John Dread and his accomplice have left the compound a war zone. The prison is on lockdown, but in the chaos one prisoner has escaped. But we know where he is and he's going to be apprehended. It's taken all the people I have to contain the situation. But we're confident"

"With all due respect, Warren, I don't care about your problems. Help Kat!" Jefferson gave Max some sharp words for that remark.

Kat regained consciousness for a moment, but it was choreographed in toggle head moments and heavy moans, then she felt unconscious again. The paramedic took out a needle from his medical kit. "She's going into shock. This will stabilize her unto we get her to Corinth County Hospital."

"What are you giving her?" Max asked.

"I'm going to sedate her," he said. "If she wakes up now she's going to be in a lot of pain. She has second degree burns to her face."

"Do what you can for her," he said.

"I will," the paramedic said. "Please help me lift her onto the stretcher."

Both the paramedic and Max gently cupped their hands underneath Kat's body and lifted her onto the made-shift stretcher, that another male EMS paramedic rolled underneath her. The first and second paramedics then unlocked the stretcher supports and rose it to waist level. The first paramedic strapped Kat in with belt straps to keep her from falling off. It was standard procedure.

The paramedic spoke into a radio he had attached by a strap to his jacket shoulder. "Get the helicopter ready," he said. "We have a serious burn victim that's priority one. Evac Stat to Corinth Country General Hospital. Alert Dr. Sykes, Head of the ICU Burn Unit."

The first paramedic wheeled her to the elevator, assisted by the second. Max followed them in and the elevator door closed behind them. The elevator began to rise after one of the paramedics pressed a button.

"You're gonna be okay, Kat," Max assured her, holding her hand.

The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and the paramedics wheeled her through the main lobby and outside. They rushed her across the compound and out the main gate where a helicopter was waiting beyond the concentrate walls of the prison, which were partially destroyed by Dread's and his accomplish escape.

Once at the helicopter the two paramedics collapsed the stretcher and gently lifted it into the carry compartment and secured the stretcher tightly to the floor with leather straps. They both got in. Max did too.

The helicopter airlifted Kat twenty miles to Corinth County hospital. "Will she be alright?" Max asked one of the paramedics in flight.

"We'll do our best," one of them answered. But that answer did not give him any comfort.

-

It seemed like an eternity but in true time was only ten minutes, the helicopter landed on the hospital roof, where there was a heli-pad on stand-by. Kat was carried out of the aircraft and the paramedics rolled the stretcher to a waiting elevator.

Kat was taken to Level Three and escorted to an ICU Burn Unit emergency room. Max wanted to join them in the ER room, but a nurse told him he had to wait outside as they worked on her, and he will be told any information when some was available. Max went to the Waiting area.

An hour went by, and there was no information. Berto had arrived since then and Max brought him up-to-speed on developments. Max also received a recharge of t-juice from Berto's PTR, (Portable Transphasic Regenerator), and his power went back up to optimal levels.

Max began to feel the numbness in his muscles disappear, but there was also something else he was starting to feel, and that was anger. He went to the receptionist on duty and demanded an update on Kat's condition. "It's been over an hour, I want to know what's happening!"

"Please calm down, sir," she said. "When I have information I will relay it to you. Now please sit back down, you're making a scene."

"I can make a bigger scene if you want?" He raised his voice.

Berto went over. "Max, calm down," he said.

Just then Dr. Sykes arrived at the Waiting area. Dr. Sykes was a short, elderly looking man with round spectacles and a beard, and to Max, he reminded him of Santa Claus, because the description of the jolly, old fat man with the snowy white beard fit him to a T. Dr. Sykes held a wooden clipboard in one hand as he walked over to them. "I'm Dr. Sykes, Head of the ICU Burn Unit at this hospital. You're partner's of Kat Ryan, correct?"

"Yes," Berto replied. "How is she?"

"Kat Ryan has second-degree burns to her face, neck, and right arm, but with treatment and a little T.L.C. she'll make a full recovery."

"Can we see her now?" Max asked.

"You can, however she's still unconscious," Dr. Sykes said. "Be aware that what she has experienced was very traumatic to her body. She was subjected to an intensive electrical shock at point blank range. I'm curious how this came to be. Can you shed light on this?"

"That's classified, doctor," Max said sharply. "Can we see her?"

"Of course," he said, dropping the matter, and escorted them down a corridor and to a private room.

When Max entered the room, the shocking realism finally hit him. He did not think she was this bad off, but with her head and arm wrapped in bandages it was obvious her injuries were far worse than he thought. If he did not know it was his partner he would not recognize her.

Kat was hooked to a breathing ventilator that circulated fresh oxygen up her nose vicariously through a rubber tube. A needle was stuck into her left arm to complement an I.V. unit. There was also a heart monitor machine in the corner with a wire attached to a device inserted onto the middle finger of her left hand. It beeped in rhythm.

Max was speechless, and felt devastated.

"Is she going to okay, Doctor?" Berto asked.

"Yes," Dr. Sykes said.

Max sat in a chair next to the bed and gently cupped her hand in his. "This is my fault," he said. "Once again I left my recklessness get the better of me. I should've been watching out for her."

"Take care, don't be so hard on yourself, son," Dr. Sykes said. "I may not know the circumstances in which this has occurred, but I do know is that you can't be every where, all the time. Ms. Ryan will make a full recovery with no scars, I've made sure of that. She'll need to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation. You're welcome to stay as long as you want."

"Thank you, doctor," Berto said.

Dr. Sykes smiled, and then left the room.

Jefferson Smith arrived soon after.

"How is she?" He asked immediately walking into the room.

"The doctor says she'll be fine," Max said. "Any 411 on the jerk who did this?" He asked.

"Yes," Jefferson started to explain. "My contacts at Interpol sent me this when I made some inquiries."

He pulled out a small, round holographic device from his jacket pocket, and turned it on. A tri-dimensional image burst forth 6" in height.

"His name is Tempest Storm. He attended Yale University at age ten, and became a self-made multi-billionaire at age fourteen when he created a revolutionary weather forecasting system." Jefferson continued. "At age eighteen, he became the foremost expert in bio-climatology and was hired by the Masters corporation to control the weather at an extreme sports competition in Alberta, Canada. But during the event something went horribly wrong, and due to a malfunction in his equipment he was struck by lightning. Storm managed to survive his brush with death, but he was never the same after that. The lightning reordered his DNA into a dangerous conductor of electricity."

"From what I've seen," Berto started to say. "Through this medium he is able to isolate low doses of sub-atomic microns of radiation waves from the ionosphere and subvert them with his own biological energy."

Max nodded, not sure what Berto said. He'd get the translation later.

Jefferson was not even sure what Berto said. He continued. "After his accident he then tried to kill the head of the corporation, Masters, but failed due to the heroics of one of the extreme sports competitors."

Max snapped his fingers. "I remember those games, I was watching them on TV because I couldn't get tickets. It has become to be known as one of the greatest so-called stunts every preformed believed to be part of the show, which of course it wasn't. And the star performer of the event was almost killed during that lightning strike earlier that hit Storm."

"Correct," Jefferson said. "We suspect Storm's using his new ability for personal gain, but we don't have a lot of information at this point."

Max punched his right fist into his left palm. "Time for some well deserved payback," he said strongly.

"Hold on, Max," Jefferson said. "Tempest Storm is a very dangerous man. We can't afford to go off half-cocked here, not after what happened at the prison."

"Jefferson is right," Berto said. "Your system nearly went into meltdown when Tempest touched you."

"You need time to recover, son," Jefferson said. "Let Dread and Storm make the first move, then we can act accordingly."

Max clenched a tight fist, and a drop of blood streamed down his hand to the floor as a nail burst the skin. "The waiting game, eh?" Max said. "Fine. But as soon as they make a move I'm there!"

tbc

Tempest Storm is a trademark character of "Action Man".


	4. The Mysterious Stranger

**IV**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Sorry for the lateness of the chapter. I was planning to release it much sooner, but in re-reading chapter 3 over to correct a few errors and to add a couple of things, it changed the whole concept of chapter 4 and I had to start over. I felt chapter 3 needed a little more heart and I feel I was successful. But in doing so I altered the ending of the chapter and inserted a whole new plot development, extending the hospital sequence. Chapter 4 is an extension of this plot. I also wanted to add a familiar villain into the mix to give the story more character, you'll realize who this villain is without me actually saying his name. And to further confuse you, I've also replaced the character name of Dr. Daniels to Dr. Sykes, because 'Sykes' sounded so much better when spoken by this new villain addition. So please read chapter 3 over again to fully grasp chapter 4. Thanks. Please R&R.

-

The elevator door on the third floor of Corinth General Hospital opened, and a mysterious stranger walked out of the lift. Dressed in a dark blue trenchcoat and a fedora, he turned and made his way down the hall to the reception deck. He kept his identity hidden within the shadows because he didn't want it known. His collar was folded up over his face. It was half-past midnight and there was only one nurse was on duty. She sat behind a desk and was typing something on a computer.

He stopped in front of the desk and said nothing. It was not long after that the nurse jumped in fright, startled by his sudden appearance.

She looked at him as her heart pounded with acceleration. Her medical training identified him as a male by the bulk of his body, it was somewhat muscular and square in shape, the sure signs of a man. But for all she knew the person was a female bodybuilder.

The man stood over six feet tall, and his face was darkened by the tall collar of his trenchcoat. His fedora covered his eyes so she was not able to see them either. He looked like one of those Men In Black that appear in movies about aliens. She hoped this was not an abduction.

The image of the man was dark and sinister, and the dim lighting at this time of night did not help. The nurse could not identity the man, and it was obvious that the man wanted that. She looked at her watch and saw how late it was, it was way past visiting hours. Whoever this man was he was not allowed in the hospital at this time.

"I'm sorry sir, visiting hours are over, you must leave the hospital," she said, with the authority given to her.

"I have come to sssee Dr. Sssykes," the man said, almost with a hiss.

"Dr. Sykes has gone home for the evening, you will have to come back when the hospital is operating on visiting hours."

"I did not sssay I wasss here to visssit anyone," the man said. "I have an appointment with Dr. Sssykes, he isss exxxpecting me."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken," the nurse said, ruffling through the time table on the desk. "Dr. Sykes doesn't have anyone scheduled to see him at this time, therefore he has gone home for the evening. Now if you will be so kind, sir, and leave the hospital, I won't have to call security and have forcefully escorted from the building."

The man stood in silence for a moment, then spoke with a chuckle. "A bold face lie, my dear," he said. "I can hear the accccelerated rhythm of your heart beat and the irregularity in your voiccce. I know when sssomeone is lying to me. I wasss onccce in the field of medicccine, but of a different sssort. I hold many degreesss, but reptilian husssbandry isss my major and my earsss are asss equal or better than a sssnake."

The man leaned over the desk and his eyes burned with a hot, emerald glow, through the darkness of his hidden identity. The nurse began to reach below for the panic button underneath the desk, but the man extended an arm, hissed something, and a snake ejected itself from his sleeve, flying through the air towards her.

It coiled around the nurse stopping her from pressing the button. The nurse dropped like a stone to the floor, the snake wrapped around her.

She tried to scream, but the snake covered her mouth, so she could not. Leaving her nose unbothered the nurse could still breath, but as frightened as she was, and her breathing elevated, she passed out after hyperventilating in fear. After the nurse was unconscious the snake slithered back underneath the man's trenchcoat.

"Very well done, my pet," he said, then went around to the other side of the desk and accessed the computer. "You will receive a very tasssty treat when all of thisss if over." He brought up the office plan to the third floor and found exactly what he was looking for. "Your liesss will not protect you from me, Dr. Ssssykesss," he continued. "We have an appointment and I am alwaysss on ssschedule."

The man turned and walked down the hall adjacent to the elevators to his designated destination. He knocked on an office door that had the name Dr. John Sykes labelled on it, and announced himself. Someone answered the door, and the man was let inside. The door closed behind him.

-

Josh McGrath stepped out of one of third floor visitors bathrooms. He chose to stay at the hospital the whole night as Kat's protector just in case that wacko Tempest attempted to finish her off. Jefferson offered to post a guard outside Kat's hospital room, but Josh declined and instead took the job. He thought he owed it to her after being so reckless at the prison, going after Tempest so foolishly like he did.

With John Dread free, and with Tempest Storm his new ally, this was not a time to get soft. He had to keep his guard up at all times or he knew something terrible would befall his friends and team mates.

Max Steel stood out in a crowd, his alter ego however could blend in and create a sense of security with out making a scene or grab attention, so he chose to be Josh McGrath at this time. Besides he could hardly go to the bathroom hiding his real persona behind a well crafted holographic façade. He thought about changing back, donning his disguise to keep up the pretence, but he wanted to conserve his T-Juice.

Every moment he projected himself as Max Steel it drained his Transphasic energy. The amount of drainage on his T-Juice was very minimal, but in the seclusion of the hospital and seeing how late it was, why waste energy when it wasn't needed. And if anyone asked about the whereabouts of Max Steel, he would say he was in the bathroom, and he, a friend of Max Steel, was here temporarily until Max returned.

But if trouble arose, he could change in mere seconds.

-

The man in the trenchcoat and fedora stepped into Dr. Sykes office. He looked angry and rightfully so. It was obvious that Dr. Sykes told the nurse at the reception desk to lie, to say he wasn't here. But if he did not want to keep the appointment, what kept the doctor here? Fear was the man's thought, fear of the worse sort.

They had appointment at precisely 12:35am and it was not 12:37am. The man was late for their appointment, and he hated tardiness.

"Why did you lie to the nurssse, good doctor?" he asked. "I thought we had an underssstanding? You don't intend to renege on our deal, do you?"

"Never," Dr. Sykes said. "There's too much at stake."

"Percccisely, doctor," he said. "You are probably wondering why am I here? Well, I'm here to sssee that everything goesss to plan. To sssee that you follow through on your promissse to aid in our caussse."

"Are they unharmed?"

"Sssee for yourssself. . ."

The man handed Dr. Sykes a DVD disc, and Dr. Sykes put the disc into the disc drive of his lap top computer that was sitting on his desk. Almost immediately the video on the disc began to play.

First there was an image of blackness, then it showed a grim video of his daughter and grandson, held hostage by this mad man. They were gagged and bounded, and guarded by men who looked like soldiers by the appearance of uniforms. They all wore masks to keep their identities secret, so if the operation went sour there was no way he could identify them.

The video feedback was short and only lasted thirty seconds. The screen went black. Dr. Sykes's looked back at the man.

"If you hurt them, I'll use every resource at my deposal to hunt you down," he said angrily.

The man seemed to chuckle at Dr. Sykes's remarks. "I'm not afraid of anyone, my dear doctor," he said. "I can't be caught by anyone. Ssso don't possse to intimidate me wittth your threatsss. And in the off chancce your decide to call the policcce, your family will be killed."

The man suddenly became angry and grabbed Dr. Sykes's by his neck, lifting him three feet above the ground. "You wouldn't like it if that happened, now would you, Dr. Sykesss?" He smiled. "Family is very important to a man in your professsion, isssn't it not? You're in the businesss of sssaving livesss, why let your family die in a futile manoeuvre to catch me? Ssso if I were you, doctor, I'd eliminate the need for empty threatsss, and do the tasssk I put before you. If not, I'll can brake your neck and inform my men to kill your family."

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Dr. John Sykes rasped out.

"Good."

The man threw Sykes's to his desk, and the sudden impact knocked a standing lamp to the floor. Sykes collapsed to the floor and grabbed his neck, rubbing it. He looked up at the man, and for the first time saw the man's face. The light of the lamp was pointing up, shining in the man's face.

The man did not look human, he looked reptilian.

"You now know my identity, but it mattersss not," the man said calmly, taking off the fedora. He showed his true face to Dr. Sykes, and Sykes gasped as he looked into the eyes of a human snake man. "Follow my inssstructionsss or you'll never sssee your family alive again."

The snake man returned replaced the fedora and reached for the door. He opened the door, and left. Dr. Sykes remained on the floor and lost himself in thought, thinking about his daughter and grandson.

"Please God, let them live through this," he prayed, and cried.

-

Josh returned to Kat's room and sat in the chair closest to her bed. Kat was still unconscious, but she looked peaceful. She did not seem to be in any pain. Her heart was beating normally and she was getting enough oxygen from the O2 machine, so she was fine.

But what mattered to him was that she had not regained consciousness, and that worried him. Tempest Storm gave her a nasty shock, and it was enough to send her into a minute coma. Dr. Sykes, Head of the ICU Burn Unit, said that she would eventually come out of it, but it was not soon enough for Josh. He wished she would come out of it sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, he could pass the time by trying to write some of his history term paper that was due in two days on the Civil War for college. But it was hard to concentrate with Kat in this condition. He could think of nothing else but her.

Over the years as team mates they had developed a special bond, and he cherished that bond, but there was something he didn't expect and that was he thought he was starting to care more about her than he should. Someone more than a member of Team Steel. He could not deny the feeling, it was something he felt deep down inside. It was a feeling that a man had for a woman, and it could not be turned off with a switch despite having billions of tiny robots living inside his body. He had strong feelings for her, but N-Tek had strict rules about agents fraternizing in that matter, it was against policy, so he kept them to himself.

But it was hard, and every day he got harder. He did not know how much longer he could contain his feelings for her. Soon he would slip up and then his father would know and that would compromise the stability of the team. Jefferson would probably transfer Kat to another field office to stop the relationship. And that would be terrible.

But perhaps, in this lonely hospital room, some of that tension could be released. . .and no one would be the wiser. Kat was unconscious, and he was alone. Maybe in the confines of this room, it was time to express himself for the first time.

"Kat, I'm sorry, I should've been more careful," he said. "I was stupid. But rest assured I'll always be there for you, no matter what."

He squeezed her hand in his like he did in the prison elevator, and a tear streamed down his cheek. "I love you," he whispered.

tbc


	5. A Snake In The Grass

V

The nurse slowly awoke from her fainting spell, and for a moment did not know where she was. But in a flash everything flooded back to her and she looked around in a fright to see if the horrible stranger with the snake was still lurking. But he was nowhere to be found.

She pressed the panic button to alert security. It was a silent alarm that alerted them in the basement that their presence was needed here.

In the meantime she remembered that there was a man in the hospital that might be able to help with the situation, he was guarding his partner at the moment after bringing her in with second-degree burns to her face, neck and arm. Dr. Sykes had told her about the man not too long after she arrived on duty, and not long before the man with the snake arrived.

She thought it odd that Dr. Sykes was staying late because he normally wanted to get home to spend time with his family. But she figured that he had some important paper work that needed to be done which most doctors do. When Dr. Sykes had told her about the man in the private room with the woman he emphasised his credentials as a member of an anti-terrorist agency, though he did not mention which one.

She felt that was odd at the time, but maybe not so out of the ordinary now. Why would Dr. Sykes tell her if he did know the man with the snake was coming, despite the time sheet said he had no appointment. Perhaps this was his subtle way of informing her about the situation, so she could react as trained when the time came, and get the agent's help.

But security arrived before she could get the agent's help.

Two security guards arrived. The nurse was relieved to see them. She called them over from the elevator, and said, "There's a man with a snake who just assaulted me and went to Dr. Sykes's office, room 213."

Both men looked at each other confused. "Are you sure you saw what you saw," one of the guards questioned her.

"I'm not hallucinating!" she said adamantly. "A man came up to the desk wearing a trenchcoat and a hat and threw a snake at me. When it wrapped around me I felt it squeeze the life out of me. I fainted."

"You fainted," the other guard said. "Were you bitten?"

"No," the nurse said. "It must have left after I fainted."

The second guard nodded. "Frank, call downstairs and see if the lobby has seen a man in a trenchcoat and a hat enter the hospital," he said. The other guard took out his walkie-talkie and called security branch. He asked them to patch him through to the ground lobby. "Any answer?"

The first guard let the line ring several times. "Nuthin'! No one's pickin' up down there," he said. "I'll go check things out!"

"Right," the second guard said, as the first got into an elevator. "Let's go visit Dr. Sykes," he said to the nurse, "and perhaps he can shed some light on the situation."

"You don't believe me, do you?" the nurse said.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but the idea of a man entering the hospital with a snake under his trenchcoat without someone noticing is highly unlikely. And with all due respect, it's not uncommon for someone on nightshift to"

"I didn't imagine it!" She forcefully said.

"'kay." The guard said, putting the matter to rest, and agreed with the nurse just make her happy. "Which way is Dr. Sykes's office?"

"Down this hall, and to the right."

The guarded lead the way, and the nursed followed suit.

Just as they reached a joint in the corridor, the guard saw the man fitting the description, emerging from Dr. Sykes office. The man was dressed in a dark blue trenchcoat and was adjusting a fedora hat. The guard put a hand in front of the nurse, and said, "Stay here."

The nurse looked around the corner as the guard stepped in the open, and faced the trenchcoat, fedora hat, wearing man. Though the story the nurse told him sounded farfetched he kept his distance. "Excuse me, sir, but may I see some ID?" he asked the man.

The man remained still and said nothing. But he did see the nurse he incapacitated with his snake earlier she more or less fainted from fright peering around the corner. The nurse also saw him and ducked behind the wall. She feared the man's retaliation for informing security of his being here. "I have no identification, officer," the man said.

"I'm afraid you'll hafta come with me," he said. "There's been a report that you harmed someone, and I would like to know how you got in the hospital this late at night when visiting hours are over."

"Asss I sssaid to the young nurssse who is hiding behind the corner I did not sssay I was visssiting anyone," the man said calmly.

"Then why did I see you coming from Dr. Sykes office just now?" the guard asked, the situation was making him a little tense.

"I have no wisssh to harm you," the man said. "I have come to do what I've done, but if you insssist in irritating me further, I will ssstrike."

"Is that a threat, sir?" the guard slowly lowered his hand towards his gun holster.

"I don't make threasssts," the man said. "I am merely giving you a warning."

"That's it!" the guard said, and pulled out his gun. "Hands up!"

"You insssipid little worm! I warned you! Now you'll face the penalty for making me break my ssschedule."

The man extended an arm and one snake ejected from his sleeve, and launched towards the guard. The guard was frozen in fear, and the snake coiled around his body. It squeezed his chest until he was dead.

It was then that the guard's radio beeped, and the first guard who had gone down to the ground floor said, "Billy, the two receptionists down here in the lobby are dead. And I found something really weird, a snake skin." But Billy, the security guard could not answer him, because the snake had shattered his verbrate, killing him instantly.

The 'snake man' then turned his attention to the nurse who was watching everything from around the corner; hiding. "And now it'sss your turn, my dear," he said. "Thusss is the priccce of betrayal."

The man hissed a command, and the snake uncoiled itself from Billy, the security guard, and slithered its way towards her.

The nurse screamed!

-

Josh moaned, and rubbed his eyes. After he held Kat's hand he must have fallen asleep. He opened his eyes, but instead of seeing the hospital room he found himself in the middle of a dried, encrusted, desert plain.

He put a hand up to shade his eyes from the hot sun that beat down, and looked all around to see where exactly he was. "What in the world? Where the hell am I?" The first thing he thought of was he was dreaming, but the atmosphere seemed so real, and if this was a dream, theoretically he could control it, and awaken. But he could not awake.

The heat from the sun baked the soil and hot air evaporated into the air. He began to breath hard as he started to feel the temperature. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, and he had not even moved. The temperature seemed to be increasing with no shelter in sight.

As he looked through sweat clouded eyes he could see a figure emerging from the distance. The figure came closer, its movement filtered through waves of heat. Josh used his optic eyes to bleed through the heat, but still he could not identity the individual.

Moments later the figure came into clear sight for the naked eye, and Josh looked at him with wide eyes. It was him, or rather his alter ego, Max Steel.

Max dragged something behind him, and as soon as it came into clear view Josh could see it was Kat, tied to a harness, and chained like a dog.

Max Steel yanked the chain and Kat fell to his side. She was wearing a skimpy, revealing outfit, tailor made to a what Josh could only refer to as slave girl attire.

Max had chained her up, and from Kat's condition she looked to be severely beaten. Kat had several bruises to her face, neck and arm, and she was barely able to stand on her own, resting on all fours in the dry soil beside Max, like a dog would its master.

Max yanked the chain, pulling her in the dirt. Landing in front of him, he grabbed her and pressed her against his chest, clutching an arm around her neck, as if choke her, but he did not. He then pulled out a laser and placed it to her temple. He sneered at Josh.

"Let her go!" Josh demanded.

Max retorted with a maniacal laugh.

He pulled the trigger. _BANG!_

And Kat collapsed to the ground like dead weight.

Josh screamed in horrible disbelief.

-

Josh McGrath jolted awake. He instantly looked at Kat, who was laying as he left her in bed. It _was_ a dream. But it appeared so real.

He wiped cold sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, and sat back in his chair.

Bang! He couldn't get the image out of his mind. Why would he dream something like that? It was unthinkable, and totally against his nature. He protected the innocent, and stood for justice as Max Steel. In his dream he was totally the opposite.

He felt his heart thump inside his chest. "Okay, settle down!" He said. "It was only a dream, a very bad dream!"

Suddenly he heard a woman's scream and he jumped out of his chair.

He looked back at Kat once, and then went to the door.

He opened the door and looked towards where the screaming was coming from. In the hallway was an unbelievable sight. There was a guard on the floor and he looked dead and slithering away and towards a nurse was a six foot long Garter snake, of the indigenous variety. To the left was a tall individual wearing a trenchcoat and a hat.

A strange hissing sound was coming from the man, and Josh knew only one man could hiss like that and have the ability to symbiotically control snakes. BioConstrictor, a former N-Tek scientist, who was fired due to unsafe practices and experiments. His real name was Dr. Clemo, Berto nicknamed him BioConstrictor, because of his new abilities.

Dr. Clemo fell prey to his own devices when he accidentally subjected himself to one of his experiments, that had to do with snakes. During a heavy battle in his lab with Max Steel, Dr. Clemo fell into a vat filled with snakes slithering in an unknown chemical substance. With aid from electricity from an overhead heating lamp that fell into the vat, his entire body was altered and replaced with snake DNA.

Josh felt responsible for the accident, but it was Dr. Clemo's decision to pursue a life of crime. Josh felt there was a way for Dr. Clemo to revert back to his human state, and with N-Tek's bountiful resources, there could be a way. But BioConstrictor wanted nothing to do with changing back. Both his body and mind were warped to the unlimited possibilities of his new existence. That was three years ago.

"Dr. Clemo! Stop this!" Josh shouted at him. "You were a good man once. Let me help you! We can change you back!"

BioConstrictor turned to Josh, and smirked. "Well, if it isn't Jefferson Sssmith's adopted heir," he said, hissing like a snake. "I've been hoping you would ssshow up! Come join the fun! Feed on his flesh, my pretty!"

BioConstrictor launched a snake at Josh from under his sleeve. The snake wrapped itself around him and made him fall back inside the room. There was a flash! And a moment later Max Steel emerged from the room, holding a dead snake in his hand. BioConstrictor hissed with anger.

"You'll hafta do better than that, Clemo!"

"That name no longer has any meaning for me, ssstop calling me that!"

BioConstrictor ripped open his trenchcoat and a large python that was slithering around inside and throughout his body, most likely a part of his body, slithered down and to the floor.

The python snake was six meters long and it was unfathomable to Max that this could be a part of Clemo's body chemistry. It must have been a culmination of a multitude of snakes all rolled into one, if that was possible. But from what Max had seen over the years when it came to Clemo, nothing was out of the realm of the impossible.

"It's time to feed, my pet," BioConstrictor said.

The nurse fainted with fright again, and fell to the floor. Max saw this, and BioConstrictor made a comment. "Women are such frightful and uselessss creaturesss, we'd would due better without them." He said.

"They have their uses," Max retorted.

"But of course, standard connotations assside," he said. "But being a sssnake I have no need for female companionssship, I can reproduccce asssexually and have a multitude of litter, while humansss have limitationsss."

"You know, it's just not the same if you do it yourself," Max sarcastically remarked, smirking. "You've lost your humanity, Dr. Clemo, and I feel nothing but remorse for you. You've lost the beauty of what it means to be human. I used to look up to you."

"Still having trouble with your curve ball?"

Josh was taken back by that remark. When Josh was little he and Dr. Clemo used to play baseball together and he never could quite learn to throw a curve ball right. Even to this day Josh still had trouble.

The huge python approached Max and bored its fangs. In the back of his mind Josh had a plan, but he did not want to reveal it too soon or the symbiotic relationship between BioConstrictor and his snake would catch on. He took a step back into the room.

Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder. He looked back, and gasped ecstatic that Kat was standing on her feet. "Kat, you're awake!"

Suddenly 10,000 volts course through his body and everything became numb. His eyes rolled over white in his sockets as he collapsed to the floor.

The woman was not Kat. And when she unwrapped her bandages, her real identity was revealed.

She looked at BioConstrictor. "You idiot!" She said to him, and zapped his python with a thousand volts of electricity. The snake cooked under the enormous power it was subjected to. It fell like ash to the floor. BioConstrictor cried out in horror. "My baby! You killed her!" He said.

"Stop crying over spilled milk!" she said. "If your snake had bitten him, and killed him, everything would have been ruined!"

"My dear Electrixxx, control yourself," BioConstrictor said. "I was merely amusing myself." He hissed and called the garter snake that was terrorizing the nurse back to him, and it slithered across the floor and merged with his body.

"No matter how many times I see that it's still disgusting!" She said.

BioConstrictor snorted, smirked. "The ssstage isss ssset," he said. "Let usss depart before more sssecurity forcccesss arrive."

Electrix agreed, and nudged Max Steel aside with her foot as both entered the private room that was reserved for Kat Ryan.

Here Electrix cupped her hands together, then slowly pulled them apart, and created a powerful sphere of energy made from swirling, vibrating electricity, six inches in diameter. The sphere had a blue core and had dancing streams of yellow electricity around it. She launched it at the back wall of the room, and the wall exploded with enough force of two sticks of dynamite, a mere trifle of her true power.

This opened up an escape route. The hospital alarms sounded, and the security guard who had gone down to check on the main lobby reception desk had managed to make his way back up to the third floor and found the two criminals trying to make their escape.

Electrix turned and opened a palm, and, like the cold-hearted bitch that she was, sent a hot white lightning bolt directly at him. It struck him square in the chest, and he was thrown backwards, and he died instantly.

Electrix erected an energy force field around the two and coasted out of the hole, beyond the hospital grounds, and into the night sky.

Max could hardly move. Every muscle in his body felt like it weighted a ton. But he still had enough strength to drag himself all the way into the room and to close the door. He then leaned up against it using his own girth to barricade himself inside the room.

His T-Juice was down to a dangerous level. Despite having millions of tiny nanonates roaming through his body they had one ultimate weakness. They were susceptible to high doses of electricity. This was the second time he had been zapped in as many days. His holographic imaging system could not hold its stability and fluctuated, and began to dissipate. He did not want anyone to see him this way or his secret identity would be blown.

He felt so numb, and tired. All he wanted was to sleep. But he could not go to sleep, he had to get help. And Berto was the only one he could contact. Using the last of his strength he reached over to his bio-link wrist communicator and activated his personal homing beacon. This would alert Berto that he needed assistance.

He thought he heard a voice inside his ears just afterwards, but it sounded so faint that he could not recognise the person, though it sounded like and was most likely was Berto.

He heard the word _Hermano_, and only Berto called him that. Everything else was scrambled by his audio receivers. Alas, he could not stay awake long enough to find out what else was said. His head collapsed to the side and he fell unconscious.

His body slid down and sprawled out across the floor. His holographic imagining emitter failed and he reverted back to his mild-mannered identity.

TBC


	6. Recovered & Ready For Action

6

**Another boring chapter perhaps, but a vital one nonetheless. But I promise you Tempest Storm will return in ch.7, for those waiting to see how Tempest fits into the story.**

Electrix and BioConstrictor landed in the middle of the Arizona Desert.

Electrix dissolved her energy bubble and to the naked eye there seemed to be nothing but miles and miles of nothing in every direction. But to the educated mind, there was much, much more, underneath the surface.

The sand beneath their feet began to shake as a platform lowered them several floors down into a hidden complex. When the platform reached the bottom, they were greeted by two of Dread's men who escorted them to an elevator. This elevator took them down several more floors.

BioConstrictor remembered how sophisticated the complex was. It was filled with heavy weapons facilities, biological and technological labs, barracks for Dread's men, and Dread's personal suite. It also cost John Dread a fortune. But if everything went according to plan he would get it all back and more!

When the elevator stopped both Electrix and BioConstrictor exited into a furbished, lengthy hallway. The floor was carpeted, and the walls were decorated to a well educated, sophisticated man's taste.

The guards remained behind as Electrix and BioConstrictor made them way down to a wooden, mahogany, crafted door. There was a camera above the door and it angled at them. The door unlocked, it was controlled by someone inside the suite, and Electrix and BioConstrictor entered.

John Dread sat behind a large, wooden desk, in front of nine TV screens embedded into the wall behind him. They broadcast several different newscasts around the world.

Throughout the suite was an amalgamation of furniture set to the an individual taste. On the back wall, nearest to the door was a display of medieval weaponry. It was a hobby of John Dread, and to him it symbolized a display of dignified power.

"Well, was the package delivered?" John Dread asked in high-spirits.

"Yes," Electrix replied. "But we had some trouble with Steel at the hospital."

"I know," Dread said. "My spies at N-Tek have informed me you took care of it. Very good! And now that Miss Ryan is officially missing in action we can go to Phase 2 of my plan." He turned in his chair and faced the TV's. In his hand was a remote and he switched to a channel. It was of a home security camera, and it displayed a picture of the kidnapped family of Dr. Sykes. "Mr. Steel will no doubt attempt to rescue them, and that is precisely what I hope he'll do!"

"Pardon me for asking, Mr Dread," BioConstrictor said, showing respect, "but why not just kill Steel now and get it over with? I know him, he's crafty and smart. He won't be easily beaten. Why are you playing games with him?"

Electrix stepped up. "I agree, Dread, what's the deal?" she said. "I coulda fried him to a crisp at the hospital, but you want him alive. Why? Kill'em, and that'll be the end of all our problems with Steel."

"Patience, my dear," Dread said sounding calm and suave. "Everything comes to he who waits. And what I have planned for Mr. Steel has been a long time coming." Dread stroked the scar on his face. He had received it during an encounter with Max Steel. "I mean to settle the score, with all my enemies, including Max Steel. But this is not a plight for revenge, it's merely a bonus in the grand scheme of things, and I now have the resources and the man power to implement my plan."

Electrix nodded. "I found something out about Steel that might interest you, Dread," Electrix said. "Max Steel isn't who he claims to be, he's really some college kid masquerading as an N-Tek agent. I saw him morph, or whatever he did, in the hospital room. It was quite a change. One moment he his hair was blonde, and the next it was dark brown."

Dread and BioConstrictor both smiled. "I know," Dread said.

Electrix looked at him. "You two know sumthin', don't you?"

"I'll let you into a little secret, Annabelle," Dread said.

And he told her the origin of Max Steel, Jefferson Smith, Dr. Berto Martinez, and the whole story within the N-Tek organization, including his once prominent role as head of N-Tek operations.

**-**

Josh McGrath moaned as he slowly awoke with a splitting headache. And once again his muscles felt like they were on fire, but this time he could handle it as his Nanoprobes were compensating for the pain. The first face he saw was Berto staring at him at the foot of a bed.

"Where am I?" Josh asked.

"You're in the medlab, on N-Tek island," Jefferson said. Josh turned to his right. Jefferson was standing at his bedside. "You were shocked again. And thanks to Berto's quick thinking we saved your identity."

Josh looked over at Berto. "We received your personal homing beacon and got to the hospital as soon as possible, but we when arrived you had barricaded yourself in Kat's room. We forced the door open and I managed to sustain your holo emitter with a portable generator. We then got to Hawk 1, where we brought you to N-Tek Island."

Josh sat up in bed, and his head started to spin. "Where's Clemo?" he asked, feeling his head.

"He escaped with Electrix," Jefferson said.

"Electrix? When did she enter the picture? How's Kat?"

Berto and Jefferson looked at each other worrisome. "Kat's missing," Berto said bluntly.

Josh focused. "Whaddya mean Kat's missing! I was with her all night at Corinth Hospital!"

"That wasn't her, Josh." Jefferson said. "We learned that Electrix switched with her when they took Kat into emergency. Dr. Sykes revealed the whole plan to us during his interrogation."

"Okay, now back it up here!" Josh said. "Then why was BioConstrictor at the hospital?"

"We don't have all the answers yet, there are several things not even Dr. Sykes can explain. All we know is that BioConstrictor visited him and dropped off a digital disc. On the disc was a thirty second video showing his kidnapped daughter and grandson. They are being held hostage at his home in the suburbs."

"I wanna speak to him," Josh insisted, attempting to stand. Jefferson stopped him.

"Why?"

"If he knows where Kat is--"

"He doesn't. He says he was forced to make the switch or BioConstrictor would have his family killed. At present we have a S.W.A.T. team surrounding the property. We'll know soon if the operation is a successful. But that's not your concern. You need to get some rest, that's an order!"

Josh laid back down, as he did not have the energy to argue.

"There's something that's bothering me," he said. "Where's Tempest Storm in all this? We haven't heard from the guy since he broke John Dread outta prison two days ago."

"Interpol and our own intelligence agencies can't find him," Jefferson said. "With this much heat, no doubt he's gone underground. But rest assure we'll find him. N-Tek always gets its man!"

**-**

In the early hours of the morning Josh awoke to a heavy stiffness in his muscles. But he stretched it off and got dressed into some clothes Berto had left for him during his last visit. He left the medlab.

He took an elevator up one floor and headedto his Dad's office. He knocked on the door, announced himself, and was told to come in.

Jefferson Smith sat behind a desk. He had stayed at N-Tek the whole night instead of going home because he was worried about Josh. "You're up early." It was 5am. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Never better," he lied. "Nothing like a little shock therapy to increase your electrolytes."

Jefferson noticed a certain slowness to Josh as he approached his desk. "You're still feeling the effects of being electrocuted, I see," he said.

"Yeah," Josh said. He sat down in a chair in front of Jefferson's desk and sighed out a breath of relief as the pain in his muscles eased. Normally he would be over this but the pain was lingering a little longer than last time when he was shocked by Tempest. But being shocked twice in as many days would do that. "Any word on Kat?" he asked.

"Not as yet," Jefferson said. "I'm still waiting word from the swat team we sent out to attempt to rescue Dr. Sykes family an hour ago, but they haven't reported in. They're overdue."

"Do you think something went wrong?" Josh asked. Jefferson nodded, and he saw the worry in his Dad's eyes. "Do you want me to go check it out? I'm feeling up to it." He stood up from the chair and almost immediately he clutched the backrest as a back spasm came on.

Jefferson stood up. "Are you okay, Josh?" he asked.

Josh mentally relinquished the pain. "I'm fine, just some lingering effects, nothing serious. I'll be over in no time."

"You're not going anywhere," Jefferson said flat. "You need to recover. Twice you were electrocuted and twice you almost died. And seeing how you now, you're in no condition to mount a rescue."

"I know the risks involved," Josh said, standing up straight. "If something has gone wrong with the operation we gotta know 'bout it. Lemme go in an take a quick look. In'n'out! No biggie."

"Out of the question!" Jefferson said. "I can't have you risking your life while you're still injured!"

"Aren't you being a little over protected, Dad? They could be all dead! And Dread might be organisating a counterstrike! You said to me earlier, let Dread make the first move. Well, he has, and he's kidnapped Kat and is holding two other people hostage, for whatever reason. And I'm curious why no ransom demand has been asked for them."

"I've been asking myself that same question, but it's obvious. . .Dread wants you, and he knows that you will go after them. One of many reasons why I can't allow you to do so. Who knows what sort of trap he has in store for you. It's my duty to safeguard every person under my command, whether its professional or personal."

"But we hafta take action! Perhaps by rescuing Dr. Sykes family it might lead us to some clue to where Kat is!"

"I'm not disputing that, Josh, but I want to wait for the swat team to report in first."

"You just said they were overdue."

"Josh--" Jefferson paused for a moment. "Please, do what I ask. I want you to stay on the island for observation."

Josh sighed. "Fine," he said snide and frustrated. "I'll remain on this cosy, little island while my best friend and two innocent people are killed." He turned and left the office, slamming the door on his way out. But he had no intention of staying idol. He looked at his watch. He still had an hour until daybreak.

He ran to the elevator and went down one floor and the first thing he did was wake up Berto who was sleeping in his personal quarters. Josh, Berto and Kat, all had personal quarters at N-Tek HQ. Jefferson had assigned them all quarters, despite having homes off-shore.

Berto moaned something about hula girls as Josh shook him awake. "I need your help, bro. We're goin' on a rescue mission."

"A rescue mission? What rescue mission?" Berto asked groggy.

"The one we're about to undertake. We're gonna save Dr. Sykes daughter and grandson," Josh said.

TBC


	7. Deliver Onto Evil

7 - _Deliver Onto Evil_

Night. 3am.

The private quarters of Tempest Storm, inside John Dread's underground base in Desert Plains of Arizona, was completely dark. Not an ounce of light penetrated the room, and that's the way he liked it. Being a man of infinite electro-light, able to control even Nature and its power of electricity, he felt most comfortable in the dark.

In the room, Tempest Storm slept soundly in a bed covered with silk sheets and feather pillows, cooled with central air-conditioning. Beside him was the woman he had recently become involved with, whom he had fallen in love with the moment he laid eyes on her, during his first encounter with John Dread in his office on this base. She was leaning against a wall, listening vaguely to John's Dread's scheme, rolling her eyes at every mention of world domination, as the briefing commenced. And during the entire time he could not take his eyes off her, she was so beautiful, and he knew she was looking in his direction as well.

Her name was Annabelle, she was also known as Electrix inside criminal circles, and she was able to manipulate the awesome power of Nature like he could, however with slightly limited ability. With his lightning rods he was Mother Nature, Electrix had no such absorbing technique.

As he slept beside her he dreamt about her, he could not stop thinking about her. Electrix was a strong woman and it was only until last night that she agreed to sleep with him, since being involved with Dread's caper for over a week. But he did not pressure her, he allowed Electrix to make up her own mind and finally she came to his bed late last night.

There came a knock on Tempest Storm's bedroom door, and he moaned half-asleep at the intrusion.

The door opened with a creak, and the darkened silhouette of a man stood in the doorway. His shadow lay across the floor and halfway up the bed comforter. Tempest Storm eyed the man with half an open eye and sleepy vision, and the glow from behind the man from the light in the hall made the man appear almost angelic. But it was Tempest Storm's understanding and from he had been told of the man, he was no angel.

The identity of the man was of no surprise, Tempest Storm could sense the electricity in his joints; and the hairs on his arms rose, like a chill down the back. It was Psycho, the half-man, Cyborg, middle man of John Dread's minions, who's metallic smile looked like it had been crafted by the Devil himself. _Smilie_ is what _Max Steel_ called him, and it suited him; that gigantic grin was off the scale on the creep factor.

"Get up!" Psycho ordered. "John Dread has a mission for you two."

Psycho then left the room, uninterested in anything going on.

Tempest Storm leaned over and shook Electrix awake. "Annabelle, Dread wants to see us," he said.

Electrix moaned, and gave a restless sign. "What does that fossil want now?" she said, turning over and tried to go back to sleep.

* * *

3:37am. Sykes Property.

It was a beautiful starry night, a half-crescent moon shone in the sky, and if Max Steel was not on an important mission he would have taken the time to stargaze and enjoy the cloudless night. He was in _Stealth Mode_ so not to be noticed and slowly made his way across the Sykes property.

"You read me, bro.?" Max asked softly.

"_Loud and clear, Hermando_," Berto said back through Max's earpiece. "_I read seven of Dread's foot-soldiers around the house, and they're all armed, judging by the heat signatures. Two are near your position._"

"I see them," Max replied. "Preparing to intercept."

"Oh man, I gotta piss like a race horse," one of them said to the other, and then moved to a bush near-by. He unzipped and began to urine like a racehorse. As it was a cool night, steam began to rise from where it dropped on the ground. "Vitriol has us on twenty-four hour guard duty, he won't even let us enter the house to take a piss."

Vitriol's involved in this plan too?

Max moved in and quickly and quietly and incapacitated the other guard as the first one continued to urinate in the bush. Still in _Stealth Mode_, Max allowed the man to finish. It was the only courteous thing to do, there was nothing worse than having a full batter and no way to relief yourself. But as soon as he finished and turned around, he joined his comrade as Max laid him out. He then dragged the both of them behind the thick bush and undressed one of them, coming out in the first man's uniform.

"A little tight in the crotch, but from what I saw he didn't need alotta room," Max said. "He must really be pissed off."

"_Can the humour, Max,_" Berto voiced.

"Yes dad," Max joked.

Max casually made his way to the front door.

There was a surveillance camera above the arch support and he looked directly at it, as if to announce his presence without actually doing so. He entered and made his way down the front hall to the living room.

He had downloaded blueprints of the house from the internet before coming so he could be prepared and have avenues of escape if need be. But when he got inside, it looked to him that that was not an option. All the windows were barded with nailed shut with boards. Inside the living room four of Dread's foot-soldiers guarded the perimeter. They were armed with assault rifles.

Near an open fireplace were Sykes's daughter and grandson, their wrists, ankles and mouths tied and gagged with silver duct tape. Sad that such a useful invention like duct tape designed to benefit homeowners would be used as the number one tool for home invasion. He would have to send a very strong letter to his Congressman about that.

In the centre of the room was Vitriol, another one of Dread's thugs for hire, relaxing in a chez-lounge and watching a war documentary at an incredibly loud volume, and without their hands, there was no way that the Sykes family could cover their ears from the noise.

Vitriol was evil personified. He did not care who he hurt to get what he wanted. He was the kind of person who would kill his own mother for the inheritance money. He was just that twisted. The world could do without a man like him. But justice would be Max's way, after he made Vitriol tell him where John Dread was, so he could go and rescue Kat, of course.

"Hey you!" Max jerked backwards started, and saw a man coming from the bathroom. "It's free. You said you wanted to use the bathroom outside, right?" This man was probably referring to the guard he got the uniform from. "Uh, right. . ." Max said in response.

Unbeknownst to Max, the shout also attracted the attention of Vitriol, who turned to see a lonely Dread foot-soldier standing halfway in the living room area. Max turned back and shared a comfortable stare with Vitriol. Vitriol did not know it was him, so he had to play it cool.

"What're you doing here, soldier?" Vitriol asked. "You're supposed to be guarding the perimeter and watching out for _Max Steel_."

"Oh Uh, Max!" Berto shared.

"I've come to use the bathroom, sir," he said, his voice disguised just enough by the breather in the mask so not to be recognized. He felt like Darth Vader, but without the heavy breathing.

"Then use it and get back out there," he said, standing to face him. "We have surveillance cameras and electronic sensors placed throughout the property, but Max Steel is a man of impeccable resourcefulness. Nothing normal moves out there without us seeing it, but Steel has his stealth technology, and could evade our sensors, so we need everyone watching."

"Yes sir," Max said.

"Before you go, check on the prisoners in the basement," Vitriol said. _Prisoners in the basement? _Max thought.Max went to the stairs that lead to the basement, and looked down. He saw two of Dread's foot-soldiers standing at the bottom, holding rifles. He used his heat sensors and detected seven additional people near the back wall.

Could N-Tek's Swat team have survived? He certainly hoped so.

Suddenly Vitriol appeared behind him and put his arm around his shoulder in a friendly, but awkward manner. Max looked at him strangely, and Vitriol gave him an odd, almost pleased, happy grin. _What's he smiling at?_ "Oh! One more thing," Vitriol started to say. "You didn't actually think you could sneak in here undetected, did you? Like I said, this place has surveillance everywhere." But before Max could react, Vitriol gave him a shove and pushed him. Max tumbled down the stairs and landed with a loud thud at the bottom, he did not get up. Vitriol laughed, and said, "Welcome to the party, _Max_!"

"_MAX!_" Berto screamed in horror, as he lost contact with his partner. But Max did not respond.

TBC


	8. The Storm Cometh!

STORM FURY - PART 8

The barren desert.

Josh McGrath looked up from where he lay in the dirt. The heat was unbearable and he felt like fainting. But he did not succumb and kept his gaze on the blurred shadow that was coming towards him.

The blurred shadow came closer and Josh could hardly see it with sweat dripping down over his eyes, but with his bio-sensors he was able to detect a heartbeat -- two heartbeats in fact. And as the shadow became clearer he was able to see that the shadow was a person -- two people in fact. One was male and the other was female. The male was dominating the female and had her chained-up like a dog.

The male stopped and stood over Josh and to his utter bewilderment the person that stood before him was the spitting image of Max Steel his alter ego. Well not exactly the spitting image, there were a few differences. The imposters hair was blonde -- Josh's true hair color -- and he wore a black N-Tek jumpsuit instead of blue and instead of a silver chest guard it was gold, with the symbol of N-Tek's thumps up.

"Can't take the heat then get outta the kitchen, Joshy-boy," the imposter said.

"Let Kat go!" Josh spoke up, his mouth felt dry as a bone.

"You first."

The imposter pulled the chain that he used to keep Kat his prisoner taught and Kat was forced to his side. But this was not like the Kat Josh knew she looked to be enjoying it in a sick, twisted manner, as if she was brainwashed to like it. Kat nuzzled Max's leg like a dog or a cat would its master, and Max chuckled at her actions. He looked to be enjoying this psychotic game of his. But all of sudden he grabbed Kat by the throat and lifted her above the ground. Kat put her hands to his hand to try to free herself but to no avail. Then Max snapped her neck and dropped her to the ground like a chunk of useless flesh.

Josh screamed, "No!"

And he jerked awake.

He was not in the desert -- it was a dream!

He was in the basement of the Sykes home, and around him were the missing N-Tek's Swat team. All nine of them. But one looked to be badly injured and another was attending to his wounds.

Max's hands up to his elbows were bound by something metal, no doubt designed to keep him from escaping. His legs were also bound with what felt like a similar device up to his knees. Vitriol was well aware of his strength and no doubt brought these to securely bound him. So, they were expecting him after all. This was all a trap. Kidnapping Dr. Sykes family just so he would come to rescue them after the Swat team failed. But he still was not sure whether Dr. Sykes was in on it. But when Max shifted his weight a little he got his answer as he saw Sykes daughter and grandson near the north corner bound by rope.

Max shifted his weight again and looked at the Swat team. "Are you alright?" he asked the commander of the Swat team. The commander was a muscular, strong-looking black man, who was completely bald.

"We're fine, except for Johnson," the commander said, looking at his team member. Johnson was bleeding profusely from his chest. Another team member was applying a compress to his wound. Since there was four armored Dread troops guarding them it seemed that they were allowing this aid, knowing they could not escape. "They knew we were coming," he added, "and we walked right into an ambush. Johnson fired off a few shots killing one of them, but they got him. He needs to get to a hospital a.s.a.p."

Max nodded in total agreement.

"I'll see what I can do about that," Max said, shifting his weight so he could sit up. Then he called out, "Vitriol! Where are you, you cold, vicious, son-of-a-bitch!" He normally did not use profanity, but he wanted to get Vitriol's attention and this seemed the most likely way to do it.

And it worked, he appeared to be within earshot. Vitriol walked downstairs and stood at the base of the steps. He put his hands on his hips as if trying to portray a sense of superiority, which was not beyond his ego. He felt he was a god with his bio-fluid arms. If he wanted anything he would take it and would use his power to get it. Max never did learn how Vitriol got those things. N-Tek did not know either. No doubt john Dread had something to do with it.

"Well Steel, enjoying your new quarters? Nice and cramp and secure I hope?" He smirked with a grin.

"I should've guessed John Dread was still using you to do his dirty work."

"It's amazing what money can buy these days," Vitriol said back.

"And with everything else there's Mastercard," Max said. He could not help say it. Vitriol was not laughing and neither was he actually. "Look! There's a member of the Swat team that needs medical help, he needs to get to a doctor," Max said, almost in a tone that was do-it-or-else.

Vitriol snorted with a smile. "Then let's give him the help he needs." Vitriol took a troops rifle and without hesitation or remorse fired a laser bolt at the injured Swat member. It killed him instantly.

Max shouted, "No! You heartless bastard!" trying to break his bounds to go after Vitriol.

Vitriol chuckled short before returning the rifle to the trooper. This same trooper than secured the unbound swat member before he could do anything foolish, pointing his rifle at him.

"Tie him up," Vitriol said. He then turned to Max. "You can tell that dead man's family you were to blame for cracking that lame joke."

Max snarled under his breath gritting his teeth. "If my hands weren't bound I'd kill you right here," he said. "In fact I could still kick your butt even with my hands tied behind my back."

Vitriol raised his eyebrows with interest. "Intriguing proposal, Steel. John Dread didn't say what condition he wanted you -- only alive. Time to have some fun. Take'em upstairs to the front yard," he said.

Two troops took hold of Max's shoulders and dragged him up the stairs, through the house and out to the front yard, where they dropped him face first onto the grass. _Oof!_ Max was confused, but if he had it right Vitriol had taken him up on his offer which was excellent! He would defeat Vitriol in a fight and then rescue the prisoners completing his mission. "Berto," he softly said to his partner back at N-Tek HQ. "Do you read me?" But for some reason Berto was not answering. It was not interference, rather he was getting static, as if Berto was not at his post. But Berto was always at his post during a mission. Where was he?

Dawn was breaking and Max could see the sun coming over the tops of the trees, brightening he area.

"Berto!" _Nice time to take a bathroom break, bro._

But that still did not explain why Max got no transmission from any of N-Tek's com channels. Every signal was dead, as if no one was there.

Vitriol exited the house via the front door and stood in plain sight of Max. "Release his legs," he said.

"What 'bout my hands?" Max voiced.

"Don't you remember? You said you could beat me with both hands tied behind your back and hence they stay."

"That's not fair!"

"Life is hardly fair, Steel," Vitriol said with a grin.

Max got to his feet after his legs were released from the metal bind. He would have to fight Vitriol on his terms and could not Turbo for an extra boost in strength. He could not reach to switch on the T-Juice. This was bad, very, very bad. But Max Steel was not without his own bag of tricks and hidden skill. He did not train all those years in Jujitsu for nothing. If his hands were bound, then he would just use the rest of his body.

"I'm ready for ya! Bring it on, dude!"

Where are you Bro.?

* * *

An hour earlier in N-Tek's Command Centre.

Berto had just seen Max fall down a flight of stairs and immediately the panic button lit up in his mind. Max had been captured. Max had disguised himself as one of Dread's troops but Vitriol had found him out and pushed him down the basement stairs. Presently Max was unconscious and his bio-link ceased to function.

"Max!" Berto tried again to reestablish contact, but it was useless. "I better tell Jefferson."

"Not so fast," a disembodied voice spoke out. "You wouldn't want to do something you'll regret."

Berto turned to face where he thought the voice had come from, and recognized it.

Suddenly the power shutdown in the entire room and the emergency lights came to life. But there were shadows everywhere and he could not see the man who spoke to him. If only he had infra-red vision like Max he could locate the heat source of the man. But what would that do anyway? He was not strong like Max. Even without his Max powers Josh McGrath was far stronger than him. Berto had a thin body. He worked out, but not as intensely as Josh did. Josh had a broad, muscular frame, Berto was of average density for his height. And if this was the man who he thought it was then he was in big trouble.

"Tempest! C'mon out. I know it's you!" Berto said.

"But I so prefer the darkness," he said. "It's so enlightening to see my prey struggle in the dark so, not knowing where the attack will come from, not being able to evade my lightning strike."

Yet Berto hated the dark. He had this hidden fear of it since childhood. But as long as he was provoked he could keep the fear under control. He liked to see what he was doing and what was going on.

Berto had done some research on Tempest Storm after the breakout at Corinth Prison. There was a blurb in his dossier about hating the light and finding comfort in the dark, from a Dr. Harrison, Ph.D. Tempest Storm had been seeing a psychiatrist for several years. And in the dossier it stated that Tempest's eyes were photosensitive to the certain light frequencies and the reason he had to wear special glasses to tint out special light. Though in his present, insane, criminal state as Tempest, he did not wear them.

It had something to do with the death of his parents at a young age during a white squall at sea. A white squall is what is known as a massive storm at sea that produces waves with white tips that can reach near fifty meters in height. Berto determined a massive storm front did sweep across the Mediterranean Sea about fifteen years ago causing millions of dollars in damage to harbors when it reached inland. It was known as a freak form of nature because it has never happened since.

But apparently getting struck by lightning on the blimp during the extreme sports competition several years ago that nearly cost a competitor his life was not his first time being hit by lightning. It is said lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but with Tempest Storm he must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time because he was an expectation to that rule because he did. He was struck by lightning on his parents yacht during the storm and was rendered unconscious. It was a mild strike hitting the bow of the yacht, a blinding flash and a surge of energy jumping from the strike to his wet clothes, but as he was a kid at the time it was enough to make him faint from a mild electrical shock.

When he awoke in the main cabin an hour later his parents were gone, swept overboard by crashing waves he assumed, because he could not find them as the storm raged on, never letting up. The yacht capsized and he was swept into the storm. He managed to survive by clinging onto the boat until the storm passed. He was rescued by a passing ocean liner on its way to Oregon, Maine, where he lived. The event haunted him for years, giving him nightmares and causing him to see a shrink for psychological counseling.

It was here that he went to school and was educated in the meteorological sciences and became a multi-millionaire at the age of eighteen when he created a superior weather tracking system to detect severe storms before they reached inland that is still in use today. Berto believed the reason he designed such a system was obvious and did not want anyone else to have to go through what he had gone through.

Josh also experienced a similar life altering event. His mother was swept out to sea during a storm and drowned when his family was vacationing off the coast of Florida. They were caught in a vicious storm on their way back to the mainland. Josh's father tried everything he could to save her, but in the end it was either her or Josh and he choose to save Josh. Years later Josh's father told him about his mother's death, but Josh has no memory of the event. It was a repressed memory for Josh. However during a mission to bring back a cargo of nuclear material from a sunken Russian submarine, Josh had an encounter with the criminal E'Stranger, and all those memories began to flood back, haunting him, almost stopping him from completing the mission. It seemed like Deja-Vu all over again. Being submerged in too deep of water for a long period was causing him to experience hallucinations about his Mother. But it was sheer determination to get the nuclear material back from E'Stranger that gave him the courage to complete the mission.

But unlike Josh, Tempest used his pain for evil. And it was the second time he was struck by lightning altering his body chemistry that turned him into a human lightning conductor and a criminal.

Berto had a plan. If he could reprogram the emergency lights to send out bursts of photo flash light he could distract Tempest Storm temporarily so he could escape. The emergency manual locking system on the door would let him out with a key created for just sort of a situation.

"If you're hoping to escape via the manual lock on the door I've disabled it," Tempest Storm said. "You young geniuses are so predictable. Relying on technology to aid in your research to better mankind, erstwhile damaging our way of life. I tried to help mankind in developing a superior weather system to detect storms out to sea before they came inland, but do people listen to the warnings on the news? No. So what's the point. People's lives seem of little importance when trying to save a piece of old furniture that can't be moved or their heirlooms that they just can't live without. It makes me sick to my stomach to see so many idiots out there not seeing the big picture. And now John Dread will capitalize on that greed. And you Dr. Martinez will be there to see it."

Berto was edging closer to his computer console in an attempt to make the necessary adjustments to the light control even though he could not escape via the manual locking system on the door. But if he could incapacitate Tempest with the lights he will not have to escape. All those lights going off will overload his retina and cause his neurons to shutdown temporarily making him faint. It was a simple process of creating the right series of photo flashes. He could then rewire the room for the door to open manually.

"And why will I be there to see John Dread's latest scheme for world domination?" Berto asked causally.

"Because he requests your presence at this momentous occasion and I've been sent to bring you."

"You know what they say about the messenger," Berto said.

He had reached the right controls on the computer console and while he looked into the darkness reprogrammed the lights typing behind his back, reworking the room systems via the emergency engage which kicked in during a power outage. It was like a battery backup system, and the lights ran off it.

With the correct keystrokes he entered what he wanted the lights to do. Suddenly the lights changed and began to flash out bursts photo light, as if someone was using their Flash to take a picture. Tempest screamed in pain at the flashing lights.

"You little bastard!" he shouted.

Berto could now see Tempest near the back wall clutching his head and shedding his eyes. The photo light was obviously giving him great pain. And as he was not wearing any tinted glasses his retina was getting a double dose of pain. Suddenly Tempest stood erect, his face no longer showing any pain. But his eyes were closed from what Berto could see. "Very sneaky," he said. "Somehow you've gotten your hands on my medical records during those years I was visiting a psychiatrist and you know my eyes are photosensitive. Most likely accessing classified information from the medical database Oregon. Notty notty, Dr. Martinez." He sounded calm, but his dossier said he was prone to bursts of uncontrollable anger. Why was he so collected now? "My eyes are closed, but I can still see you. My ears will be my guide."

And he sent a concentrated bolt of lightning at the place Berto was standing and electrocuted him. He heard the young scientist and genius collapse like a heap of coal to the ground.

"Ah, the sweet smell of burnt flesh in the morning," he said. He sent another bolt of lightning at the controls and the room darkened completely. He opened his eyes and smiled. "This is more like it," he said. "Even though I harness the power of light the darkness will always be my friend."

He put on a pair of night vision goggles and found Dr. Martinez laying on the floor next to the computer console. He picked the light-weight genius up and flung him over a shoulder. Taking the goggles off he turned to the door and blasted it open with a lightning strike.

The N-Tek complex alarms blared.

"Time to leave."

To be continued. . .


	9. Vitriol vs Max

_**STORM FURY - PART 9**_

The door to the command centre exploded open with the force of a hundred sticks of TNT and metal debris flew in every direction, even embedding itself in the wall across the hall. Alarms blared as emergency power was restored. Doors automatically locked themselves controlled from a remote system to prevent the intruder from evading capture, and the emergency lights kicked in flooding the hallway with a haze crimson color of red.

"Intruder on level B, intruder on level B," the intercom sounded. It were obviously referring to him, Tempest thought. He then heard several running footsteps approaching his position, it was most likely N-Tek's Emergency Response Unit that was in charge of island security. But he was expecting this response. John Dread had informed him of everything N-Tek would do when he was detected, so he was not troubled by this.

An N-Tek security force of five armed guards with laser rifles came jetting from around the corner and began to fire on him. However, as soon as they saw the bare-chested villain was carrying Dr. Martinez they ceased their hostilities. Tempest looked at the unconscious Dr. Martinez, his face red after being electrocuted by a lightning bolt, smiled, and then looked back at the guards. Tempest attacked the guards with a bolt of lightning, striking one of them directly in the chest, and singeing two others has they fled the hallway to an adjacent corridor.

The N-Tek guard struck by the lightning bolt fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud, dead even before he hit. His internal organs had cooked themselves and fused together as they quickly cooled into on big mesh, killing him instantly. His skin was burnt to a crisp, scarred tissue bubbled with red hot blisters, making identification near impossible. His clothes blackened by the intense heat from the attack.

"That was fun!" Tempest remarked, before continuing his attack on the remaining guards who now hid behind a wall, concealed from Tempest. "Marco!" he shouted, and sent another lightning bolt at the hiding men. As he controlled it masterfully, he was able to ricochet a bolt of lightning off a wall and down the corridor where the men were hiding. He heard a multitude of screams, horrible cries of pain that would make anyone else cringe. But not Tempest. He enjoyed it when his victims suffered.

He broke off his attack and waited a moment before walking down the hallway and turning down the corridor where the N-Tek guards were hiding, pushing back the fried dead guard in the hall. They were all dead, cooked, laying motionless, electrocuted by his lightning bolt.

"The human condition, such a frail thing," he said. "Luckily I no longer hafta worry about it anymore. I'm more than the man I used to be, more than any normal man could ever be. In ancient times I'd be worshipped as a god. But now, deities are for the foolhardy."

"At lease you're not totally insane, Tempest," Jefferson Smith said. Tempest turned around and standing about fifty feet away was the administer of N-Tek Island, Jefferson Smith, holding a rocket launcher, and it was aimed directly at Tempest Storm. Behind him were about ten other N-Tek Security guards and agents. "Put Dr. Martinez down."

"Or what? You'll fire that thing? Don't insult my intelligence, Smith. We both know you'd never risk the life of Dr. Martinez to capture me. And besides, if you did fire I could take out that rocket easily." Jefferson Smith knew Tempest was right but did not lower the weapon. He smiled. Tempest was confused. "Why are you smiling?"

Jefferson Smith fired the rocket and it soared down the corridor towards Tempest, but Tempest was unafraid because he knew he could stop it with one countermove of electricity, shorting out the electrical system and disarming it. But when he tried to stop it, it did not work and the tip of the rocket opened up and ensnared him in a liquid rubber material, that then hardened around him, trapping him, so he could not move. He had dropped Dr. Martinez before hand and now Berto was laying motionless on the floor. "What is this stuff?" Tempest growled, trying to free himself, struggling with no success against its tight grip.

"Rubber cement," Jefferson explained. "Something new N-Tek was working on just for you, Tempest." Guards surrounded him, their rifles poised. A medical team attended to Berto, reviving him with smelling salts. "Now, where's Kat?" he asked Tempest. "We know you have her."

Tempest chuckled. "You're asking the wrong person, pal," he said. "I had nothing to do with the little switcharoo at the hospital. But wasn't it clever? And soon we'll have a matching set."

Jefferson shifted his eyebrows puzzled. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Your little hero Max is walking into a trap," Tempest said. "Your Swat team has already been annexed in their attempts to rescue Dr. Sykes kids and soon Steel will be to. They have a surprise waiting for him, or rather had a surprise for him. He's been captured." Jefferson looked shocked. "Didn't you know Max was on his way to save the day? You should really keep better tabs on your agents, Smith. Max Steel is ours."

"What does John Dread want with Kat and Max? And where were you going to take Dr. Martinez?"

"You know, rubber is a very powerful insolent of electricity in small doses, but with enough voltage its chemical composition breaks down into its molecular components, making it soft and pliant. You should really have thought of that before using this rubber cement on me. How do I know this? I was once a scientist and inventor."

Tempest generated a million ton charge of electricity of almost blinding white light magnitude and the rubber just melted off him into a puddle of goo on the floor. He then grabbed Jefferson by the throat and raised him a foot above the floor. The security force that surrounded him with their rifles cocked their triggers, readied to shoot him.

"Again we're in the same situation, this is so boring," Tempest said. "Are you prepared to kill your beloved administrator just to kill me? I think not." But Tempest put down Jefferson Smith anyhow. He let go of him and backed away. He then put up his hands. "I surrender," he said.

He allowed himself to be handcuffed. "Be careful," Jefferson advised, rubbing his throat. "If he makes an attempt to escape, shoot him!"

"I'm disappointed, Smith," he said, being lead away. Four members of the security force escorted him down the hall to an elevator. "I let you live. Maybe I won't be so generous next time."

Jefferson watched as two guards got into the elevator, followed by Tempest, followed by two more guards, all armed. Compared to his men, Tempest was a giant and someone who belonged to Greek mythology, based on his body mass alone. The elevator doors closed. With the emergency over, the lights returned to normal, and the corridor was brightened with soft, glowing white like, similar to that in a doctor's office. But it also shined on the horror after effects of the damage Tempest did and the men he killed. Five men were dead, one burnt to a crisp.

Jefferson went to Berto who was still be attended by the medical unit, and asked, "Are you alright, Martinez?"

Berto's face was as red as a beet and one of the physicians was applying a clear ointment to his skin, to help prevent blistering. It glistened in the light of the hall.

"He's unable to speak, sir," the physician said. "The electrical shock he was given narrowed his airwave, so he can't talk and breath at the same time. It's only temporary though," he then added, and Jefferson was relieved to hear it.

Berto waved a hand and gestured for something to write with. Jefferson handed him a pad and pen from his breast coat pocket.

Berto wrote something down. "Max in danger! Vitriol at Sykes residence."

"Vitriol?" Jefferson said. "Max disobeyed a direct order not to get involved." He looked angry. "And you helped him Berto, why?" But Jefferson did not need to hear his excuse, he knew it already. "Max wanted to save Dr. Sykes daughter and grandson, I know."

He turned to an agent. "Try to contact Max Steel," he said.

"We won't be able to sir. Something is blocking all communication to and from the island. We don't know want," he agent said. "It might be a faulty circuit breaker. We have someone on it now, but as of yet we don't have an answer. I don't have a time table on how long communications will be down."

Berto tried to stand up, but his legs felt like rubber and he fell back down again. He tried to sign his words, but it came out all gibberish. "I know you want to help, Berto, but your first priority is to go to the medical bay and see to those burns. Then you can come back."

Berto nodded and was escorted to the elevator.

Jefferson frowned.

"Until communications are up, Max is on his own."

Thirty miles off shore of N-Tek island a submarine sat submerged 1,500 feet, running quiet. On the bridge, a woman sat in the captain's chair, her clothing completely black, expect for some white strips that ran up and down her tight-skin clothing of choice. The crew were at their stations monitoring the area, they were Dread troops. From the submarine she was responsible for blocking all of N-Tek's to and fro communications. It was a relatively mundane job, but she did not want to disappoint. She touched her finger tips together in boredom, hoping for something exciting to happen. But nothing did.

Max Steel landed face first in the dirt as Vitriol kicked his ass all around the property, as Dread Troops cheered on, betting on the victor. Their money was on Vitriol, because Max's hands were bound behind his back and it was counteracting with his equilibrium. A few minutes hauling around a twenty pound piece of metal would make anyone tired, especially if was behind you. Sweat dripped from his face.

"What's the matter, Steel? Don't look too tough now, do you?" Vitriol said. "I knew it. You're nothing without your Max powers." He kicked Max in the ribs and Max groined out in pain. "Thought you could beat me with your hands tired behind your back? Nothing but an empty threat."

Max had played possum for long enough and with Vitriol off his guard he rolled over onto his back, jumped to his feet and then delivered a martial arts round-house kick to Vitriol's face. He then head rammed into Vitriol's stomach knocking the over-confident villain over. The momentum also caused Max to lose his footing and fall on top of him, bumping heads with Vitriol. "I never kiss and tell," Max joked, and rolled off of him, got to his feet, and took a few steps back from Vitriol.

A drop of blood streamed down from Max's lip, but he could not do anything to wipe it. But to show a little blood was nothing to Max. In his off hours as Josh McGrath he was an extreme sports enthusiast and often got injured doing his stunts. So this was nothing. But he was feeling a little woosy from that head butt to Vitriol.

He shook his head to clear his vision.

"Man, you have a hard head," he said.

Vitriol got up from where he was on the ground. "You'll pay for that, Steel," he said.

"Don't sign cheques your ass can cash."

"Even now you joke when one of your comrades is lying dead in the basement of this house."

Max's face became serious. "I swear, you're pay for killing Johnson. Once word gets out what you did there's no place on earth you'll be able to hide from N-Tek or Interpol." Max paused.

"You don't scare me, Steel," Vitriol said. "Neither you or your pathetic organization can touch me. The only time you captured me was when I let you and that's because Dread double-crossed me."

"And you'd think you'd learn from that," Max said. He was feeling a little out of breath. All this running around was making him tired. "I was going to offer you a plea for helping N-Tek find Dread and stop whatever he has planned, but you can forget it now."

"You have no idea what's going on, do you, Steel? Dread has big plans. And this time they can't fail. He has the entire world in the palm of his hand and no one even knows it. And once I bring you to him his new world order will begin. You and your partner will be the catalyst for the next generation of the military war machine That's why you're so important to the plan. You'll start a whole new era in bio-genetic life." Then he stopped. "But I've said too much. This is getting tiresome. I've had my fun with you."

"Isn't that the way. The moment you start to think you no longer have the upper hand, you leave the game. C'mon Vitriol, tell me more."

Vitriol turned to a trooper. "Contact John Dread and tell him I have Steel." The trooper saluted and ran into the house most likely for a radio. Vitriol looked back at Max and suddenly he was rammed in the stomach by Max's head and since they were so close to the house the impact caused them to crash through the side of the house and into the dining room area, breaking a glass table and damaging a glass cabinet. Max received a large five inch gash across his forehead from shattered glass, but he got up and was ready to take on Vitriol again.

"C'mon Vitriol, I said tell me more," he said, his tone a combination of anger and satisfaction, stomping Vitriol in the stomach and then sucker kicked him across the side of his head. "Tell me where Kat is?"

Four Dread troops ran into the room and dragged Max away from Vitriol as Vitriol very slowly began to sit up from his position laying on shards of broken glass and bits of wood from a table and glass cabinet.

Vitriol felt his face and looked at a bloody palm. The whole left side of his face was covered in blood. He looked at Max with a snarling, curled lip. Max's face was also covered in a thick blanket of blood, the gash on his forehead streamed blood down his whole face. "You're a persistent one, Steel, I'll give you that, and no one has ever done what you've done to me," he said. "Usually it's not my blood that spatters." He walked over to Max and stood about a foot away. "Allow me to return the courtesy." Then he punched him in the stomach and gave Max an uppercut punch to his chin. And when Max dropped to his knees, Vitriol kicked him in the head, and Max dropped like a stone to the floor, and appeared to lose consciousness. "Night night, sweet prince."

Vitriol leaned down and felt a pulse from Max's neck. "He's still alive," he said. "Pick'em up and take'em back down to the basement. Someone will be by shortly to retrieve him. Dread's sending someone. After that we won't need the prisoners anymore and I can at last have my fun."

To be continued. . .


	10. Plan For Escape

**__**

STORM FURY - PART X

Max Steel was thrown down the basement stairs. He tumbled and hit a concentrate wall with a loud thud. The two guards that were down there aimed their rifles at him, but he did not move. He was unconscious or that's what it appeared to be, but actually he was faking. And with his eyes closed and no discernible cry out after that fall he had convinced Vitriol and his merry minions into leaving the basement. The only serious threat against their plans was unconscious they had no reason to leave guards.

"We don't need to watch them anymore, there's no place they can go, and their savoir is out for the count," Vitriol had said, and the guards retreated upstairs leaving the prisoners alone.

As soon as the basement door had slammed shut Max Steel opened his eyes and sprung into action.

His back ached from the tumble down the stairs, but he ignored the pain and got to his knees and wobbled over to Dr. Sykes daughter and grandson. They were tied with ropes made of straw and fiber, different than what this Swat team was handcuffed with. Vitriol probably thought they were no threat and tied them up with the cheapest thing he could find. He had noticed this before he went to fight Vitriol and had already concocted a plan in motion. He had waited for an opportunity to get his hands on something sharp but small enough for which he could fit in his mouth to bring down to cut the ropes. He had such an object.

He spit out a piece of glass that he had mouthed when Vitriol had kicked him in the head in the dining room upstairs. Blood also spattered from a cut lip. "Ms. Devonshire," Max called her by her married name. He knew this from the records he got from the investigation report Dr. Sykes, her father, told investigators when they interrogated him about his role in the disappearance of Kat at Corinth Memorial Hospital. "I need you to grab this shard of glass and try to cut your ropes with it. Forgive my blood on it."

"Mr. Steel, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine, nothing to worry about," he said reassuringly.

Ms. Devonshire inched to the piece of glass on the floor covered in Max's blood. She was a little grossed out by the sight of all that blood on the shard of glass, but tried to put the image out of her mind as she turned her back and felt for it with her hands. She pricked her hands and felt her blood as she grabbed the shard, but was not concerned with it. Wiggling her hands into a suitable position she managed to position the shard of glass to touch the straw rope tying her wrists together and started to inch back and forth in an attempt to cut her bindings. Max watched her progress and coached her on all the way.

"By the way, Ms. Devonshire, sorry about your dining room table," he said. But from the look on her face it seemed to be the last thing she was worried about. "And the wall to your dining room. It's sorta, well, not there anymore." That got her attention and she accidentally cut her finger. "You okay?" She nodded and continued to cut away at the rope. And then about a minute and a half later she was free.

Ms. Devonshire unwrapped the rope and then cut away at her son's taking about a minute. Her hands were covered in blood when she was finished and her son said, "Mommy, you hands. . ."

"I know, Tommy. But don't worry about mommy. I'll be okay." She went over to Max. "Mr. Steel. . ."

"You can't break the device around my hands, Ms. Devonshire," he said. "It must be released by a remote key that only Vitriol has. See if you can free the others." But their locks were similar in design and could not be released. "They must be tamper proof. Any attempt and an alarm will sound."

"What should we do then?" she asked.

Max thought for a moment, and then looked at her son. "Tommy, c'mere for a minute," he said. Tommy went over to him. "Now I need you to do a big favor and you can decline it if you feel you're too scared." Tommy nodded. "I need you to go upstairs where the bad guys are and see if you can find a key that will fit this lock." Referring to the device around his arms. He wished he could just snap it off, but he needed to Turbo up for that and he could not reach his wrist controls. "Can you do this Tommy?"

"You want me to go up there?" Tommy said nervously. "But those men will hurt me."

"You can't ask him to do that, Mr. Steel," Ms. Devonshire said. "I won't put my son in danger."

Max took a breath. "I know it's dangerous Ms. Devonshire, but as soon as whoever it is who's gonna come and collect me to take me to who-knows-where you all quickly become very expendable. And since Tommy is the smallest here I think he can maneuver around the house unnoticed."

"Expendable?" She said with a gasp, finally grasping the concept of the word. "You mean they are going to kill us? But that man with the hard looking face said once this is all over he will let us go?"

"He lied, Ms. Devonshire," Max said. "He does that for a living. And he will have no reservations in killing you or his son when this is all finished. We have an opportunity to prevent that. I understand that this is a scary time for you and your son, but this is the only chance you and my friends over there have."

She looked at her son, and Tommy was shaking his head no. Max could see he was really scared and seriously did not want to do this. "Please Tommy," she said. "Mr. Steel is right. You have to be brave for Mommy and find this remote key that unlocks this device, honey." Then she had a thought and turned to Max to express it. "Once Tommy gets the remote key what are you going to do?"

"Leave it me and I'll get everyone out and back home safe and sound."

All except Johnson.

Tommy looked at his mother and then at Max Steel and then at all the rest, and sighed. "Okay Mr. Steel," the ten-year-old boy said. "My heart is pounding and I'm really scared, but I'll do it!"

Max Steel smiled. "What's your favorite sport, Tommy?" he asked him.

"Baseball."

"Who's your favorite player?"

"Alex Gonzalez from the Tampa Bay Rays. I wanna be a baseball player when I grow up. If I grow up."

"Don't think like that, Tommy. Things are gonna be okay. Tell ya what. After we get outta 'ere and I take care of a few things, how 'bout you and I and your mom and dad go see Alex Gonzalez in Florida? He owes me a favor from a couple years back and I'm sure he'd like to meet his biggest fan. Whadda say?"

Tommy's face lit up and he smiled elated. He looked at his mother and his mother smiled back. She figured that Mr. Steel was lying, but sometimes a little incentive helps. She did not want to lie to him but this was very important and she also had to be brave if they were to come out of this alive. "That's right, Tommy," she said. "We'll all go and see Alex Gonzalez together if you go and get that remote key for Mr. Steel." Tommy nodded, and got to his feet. He went to the stairs and started to climb. "Be careful," she added, and her son nodded with a smile before he reached the top of the stairs and disappeared out the door.

Ms. Devonshire started to cry. "Don't cry, your son will be fine," Max said. "And even if he does get caught they won't kill him. They'll bring him back down here. But let's hope for the best."

Tommy's heart was racing like a horse that had just run a furlong and a half, but he was keeping his cool and managed to sneak by the one guard who was standing beside the basement door as he looked the other way. Tommy hid behind the kitchen wall that intersected with the main hallway. Lucky no one was in here and he could relax for a moment.

The kitchen was a mess. The bad men had made themselves at house and home and completely trashed the place. There were dishes everywhere: in the sink, some smashed on the floor, cabinets opened, frozen food sitting out thawing in open air. Were they expecting his mother to clean all this up after they left? No. They were not. They were not planning to keep them alive. Mr. Steel said they had planned to kill them. So they could make as big a mess as they wanted and it would not matter. He was not going to let that happen. He had to get that remote key and free Mr. Steel so he could take care of them.

He did not like being trapped here as their was only one entrance in and out of the kitchen but seeing all the food out there he suddenly got hungry. The bad men had not fed him since they stormed into the house almost a day ago, so he quickly took some bread and made a peanut butter sandwich. But in the process he dropped a knife on the floor and it made a loud noise. He heard footsteps coming and went to hide. He liked to play hide and seek with his dad and often hid in the bottom cabinets underneath the sink so that's where he went carrying the sandwich in his mouth. He closed the cabinet door a moment before one of the bad men came into the kitchen. He could not see the man, but he could hear him as he entered.

Then another man joined him. "What was that?" one man said to the other.

"Don't know," the other man said. There was a pause before the man spoke again. And he sounded closer this time. There was a scraping just inches beyond the cabinet door and Tommy was scared. "It was nothing," the man said. "Just a knife that fell on the floor. Probably leaning too far off the edge." Then it sounded like he threw it into the sink because Tommy heard a loud clanging sound and metal hitting dish.

"Man, this place is a mess," the other man said.

"Doesn't matter," the second man said. "Once Max Steel gets shipped out to the boss Vitriol's gonna blow this house sky high, he's already planted explosives all around the perimeter. After that I doubt the mess of this kitchen is gonna bother the authorities after all the dead bodies they're gonna find."

"So tell me again why did the boss tell Vitriol to come here and kidnap the Sykes family? I mean coulda been anyone's family and Max Steel or N-Tek woulda come to their rescue, right?"

"Yes and no," the first said. "But the Sykes was specifically targeted because of Dr. Sykes step-son, George Devonshire. The boss had him kidnapped on his way to a company convention in Orlando, Florida. Dread's got him locked up at the base in Arizona. Devonshire specializes in cloning technology I think. That's all I know."

"Oh man, can't wait to see this little humdinger blow! Like seeing fireworks at the Fourth of July again."

The first man agreed, and Tommy heard laughing fading as the two men left the kitchen. He waited a moment until he did not hear them and slowly opened the cabinet door, seeing no one in the kitchen. In the minute he had his sandwich in his mouth it had gotten soggy, but he gobbled it all up and left the kitchen to look for the remote key. But where would the remote key be? With that scary man with the green arms? He looked like he was in charge of the rest, but Tommy had to be absolutely sure this green arm man had it or risk going after it when someone else actually had it.

He slowly ventured the hallway on his way to the living room where he figured the green arm man was. But in order to get to that room he would have to pass the basement door and there was a guard standing there. So how would he get past him? He would have to take him out as his favorite action hero Bruce Willis would say. He was too young to see his movies, but his father had let him see them because he believed if you were exposed to T.V. violence at a young age it will not be so influential at an older age and you will be able to handle it better. Tommy was not sure what that meant, but trusted his father. What he did today too was also for his father who was in the hands of their boss. And he had to save his father. Or Mr. Steel would save him after he found the remote key to unlock his hand device.

But all of sudden he felt an urge to use the bathroom. He had not gone in over twelve hours and all this moving around was making his bladder feel full. So he backed away from the guard who had not seen him and made his way the main floor bathroom that was down another hall and off adjacent to the dining room. And as he passed the dining room he saw the destruction that was caused by what looked to be a fight. He peaked in and saw a large hole where the back wall once stood, and their glass table was smashed. That is where Mr. Steel got the glass that his mother used to cut their ropes. It was from the top of the table.

He left the sight of the destruction of the dining room and entered the bathroom. Here he locked the door and began to urinate. After he urinated he decided not to flush because the bad men would hear him. And even though it was unhygienic and his mother always insisted that he wash his hands after going to the bathroom he did not do that either because the running water would attract unwanted attention.

He had learned to do this from T.V. from all those action dramas his father allowed him to watch. In his mind he thanked his father for all the wisdom he passed down to him. But his father always said he was a smart boy, and smarter than average. His teachers even thought so too and wanted his parents to enroll him in a higher grade, but his father forbid it and wanted his son to enjoy life, to have fun with his friends, and not be stuck homebound with too much homework. He was only ten-years-old after all.

Tommy opened the bathroom door and to his shock and dismay one of the bad men stood in the doorway looking directly at him. He froze in fear and it looked like the man in a red and black uniform with armor was just as surprised to see him too. "Hey kid, what are you doing 'ere?" he demanded to know, his voice muffled, yet somewhat amplified at the same time by the mask he wore. It reminded Tommy of that man who wore the large mask and cape in those sci-fi movies, but without the heavy breathing.

Tommy did not know what to say. His mouth moved but there was no sound was coming out.

He was trapped.

****

To Be Continued. . .


	11. Tommy's Courage

**__**

STORM FURY - PART XI

Tommy was trapped!

He froze in fear like a dear in a car highlights. But even though he was cornered by this masked invader in his home he did not panic. His father had taught him never give into fear in a crises. Though he had never been in a crises, none of his favorite action heroes ever panicked when they were faced with danger. And yet this was no movie. This was real life. Still, did not panic.

Tommy backed away from the man but fell on his rear as he slipped on the bathroom rug. He was now looking at the man from a much different perspective, like David looking at Goliath. The only thing was Tommy did not have a sling-shot in which to take the man down. Though a sling-shot would do little against the man's armor.

"C'mere ya little brat!" the masked man said, and reached for him.

Tommy was too fast for him and slipped from his reach. He quickly looked around for something he could use as a weapon and grabbed the toilet brush from its holder beside the toilet. He whipped it across the man's chest. Liquid spattered everywhere. Of course it did nothing, but it did halt the man's movements. The man wiped a portion of the liquid off his chest armor and looked at its greasy residue. He could not smell it due to his mask on, but he guessed at what it was seeing the toilet brush in the kid's hand. "I just had this uniform cleaned."

The man grabbed Tommy by the shirt and eyed him. "Kids like you need appropriate punishment," the man said. "If I wasn't under orders, I'd kill you right here. Instead, I'll take you to Vitriol."

Tommy struggled to free himself but to no avail. He then thought of something. His father had always told him it was not nice to do it even if the person deserved, however in this case he figured Dad would understand. And so, Tommy kicked the man in the groin, using his foot to stomp against it hard. The man froze to the spot, and Tommy could almost hear the man stop breathing. The shock of that much pain to a very sensitive area much have been really painful. The man's grip on Tommy's shirt loosened and he was able to push away as the man collapsed to his knees holding his groin.

"You little shit," he said. The words reverberated out softly from the breather in his mask, almost at a whisper. But Tommy heard them. "I can't believe you just did that. Forget 'bout Vitriol, I'm gonna--"

The man's bulk was too big for Tommy to slip by him, but he was not finished with the man yet. This was his chance for some payback against these guys who broke down their door and took them hostage a day ago. _This is for you Dad! _He grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the rack beside the bathtub and said, "My mother always told me little boys got their mouths washed out with soap when they swore, so here--take this!" And Tommy squirted the bottle up into the man's breathing mask.

The man suddenly went into a panic and put his hands to his mask. He plunked it off quickly and underneath his face was covered in liquid soap. He put his hands to his eyes and gritted his teeth in pain. It was obvious the man had got soap in his eyes, and it was stinging.

The man rubbed his eyes and finally managed to see with one eye though his vision was blurred and swung at Tommy with his fist. But he missed and had swung at dead air. There was no one there.

"Where are you?"

"Marco," Tommy said, playing with him. "Polo!"

Tommy maneuvered around the man as he rubbed his eyes and continued to swing a hand, but missed at every turn. Suddenly one of his swings made contact and the impact knocked Tommy off-balance and he fell into the bathtub bumping his head on the back wall. The man got to his feet and at last getting the soap out of his eyes saw the boy at his mercy.

"Thought you could evade me, eh kid?" The man leaned over and grabbed Tommy by his arms and hauled him out of the tub. The bump on the back of Tommy's head really hurt and he felt like crying, but did not because he did not want to give the man the satisfaction of seeing him cry. It would be an act of weakness. And even though Tommy was on ten years old, he was not weak. Inexperienced, young, but not weak. But he made a face as if he was going to cry, and sniffed.

"Aren't you gonna cry, kid?" he taunted. "Let me see those tears flow. Say uncle, and I won't kill you." The man smirked.

"How about screw you?"

The man was shocked at his reply, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

And Tommy stomped on the man's right foot hard.

The man loosened his grip on Tommy and he was able to slip away. Tommy then slipped between the man's legs and the man tried to grab him. But Tommy was too fast and came up behind the man, and pushed him into the bathtub head first. The man hit his head on the back wall and collapsed face first in the tub, unconscious.

For a moment Tommy stood there worried he had killed the man because he was not moving, but then put a hand underneath the man's face and felt the man's hot breath that proved to Tommy the man was still alive.

Tommy breathed a deep sigh of relief.

It was then that Tommy realized that the noise of their scuffle would probably attract some unwanted attention, so he moved the rest of the man's body into the bathtub that was draped over the side and pulled back the shower curtain so it would appear no one had been or was in here. Then he quickly put the toilet brush back and ran out of the bathroom and across the hall into the dining room moments before two more of the same men in the same uniforms came to investigate.

But they found nothing.

"Must be the pipes," he heard one of them say to the other as they did a quick look around. "The foundation settles all the time in these old houses." Then they left without finding their comrade.

Tommy smiled confident knowing what he had just done. His father would be so proud of him. But that was only one of them, he was no match for a whole horde of them. He did not know how many were in the house or outside, but he could not worry about that. He had to try to be invisible if he was going to get the remote key to unlock Mr. Steel's restraint. But he did not know where to look first.

Then he remembered from a movie that a thing like that was always with the main bad guy. It was sort of a trump card in case the hero managed to evade all his traps. So, the remote key must be with that tall, muscular, ugly looking guy with the green arms. It had to be.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I see you managed to chew outta your ropes," a man's voice said behind him, and Tommy knew that voice. It was the voice of the man whom he was looking for. The man then grabbed Tommy's arm and dragged him back to the basement. "Is this the best you can do, Steel?" He dragged Tommy down the stairs where the others were all trapped. "Sending a little kid? You're so pathetic! I thought you had more class than that." He threw Tommy to the floor. "I should blast this kid right'ere!"

Vitriol raised one of his bionic arms and generated a charge, a green energy field began to emanate around his arm.

"Stop!" Max Steel said. "You win."

Vitriol stop building a charge and looked at Max Steel, the one true hope to save all these people, captured and restrained, kneeing, his face touched by smears of blood. "The great hero conceiting defeat," Vitriol said smiling, but then frowned. "But somehow I always I'd get more satisfaction outta it. You're not dead, that's the problem."

"Then kill me, but leave the boy alone."

"So heroic," Vitriol said. "But so utterly futile."

"Mr. Steel, after he takes you away, he plans on blowing the house up with all of us in it," Tommy said.

"Where did you hear that?" He quickly looked at Tommy.

"Your men talk too much," Tommy explained, looking at Vitriol with a deep hatred, a hate that no kid should express towards another. Hate was a sin, but for every situation there was an exception.

Then Tommy saw something metallic out of the corner of his eye, it was sticking partially out of Vitriol's left pocket. It looked like the remote key he needed to unlock Mr. Steel's restraint. But what if it was not? He could not think that way. He had to believe it was!

Vitriol snickered. "You have potential kid," he said, smiling with sinister intent. "Home that anger and you'll go far in this world."

"You leave my son alone you monster!" his mother said. She stood up, her ropes were also untied. Vitriol turned to her.

Then he saw blood on the floor near her and a piece of glass drowned in it. He looked at her and then at Max Steel. Max Steel's mouth was cut open and partially bodied. Then he theorized out loud what had happened. "Very clever, Steel, using that distraction outside, smashing into the house, and getting a piece of glass so the Cleaver Family 'ere could untie their ropes. You're some piece of work, Steel. But it was all for nuthin'. You'll soon be Dread's and the world will be his oyster."

It was about now when Vitriol's attention was diverted enough for Tommy to make his move. He reached into Vitriol's pocket and grabbed the metal thing and started pressing buttons at random on the five key control pad.

Vitriol the remote key and struggled for control over the kid, and won with considerably ease. But something had happened during that struggle, the right sequence of buttons were hit, and suddenly Max Steel's restraint had been unlocked.

Max Steel stood on his feet and faced Vitriol. The looked on his face was that of pure revenge. Vitriol expressed a look of _Oh-Oh _and watched Max spread his arms and break free of the device that held him at bay, shattering the metal bindings in pieces.

Max Steel was angry. "Time for some well deserved payback!" he said, and moved in towards him. "You killed a friend of mine!"

All of sudden Max heard a number of rifles cocking. Apparently Vitriol's Dread reinforcements heard the commotion and came to assist. But that did not stop Vitriol from taking reassurance that Max would not attack him, and grabbed Tommy to use as his shield.

"Not so fast, Steel," he said. "Take another step and I'll spatter this kids brains all over the basement. You might be free of your restraint, but that doesn't mean you're free to leave this house."

"Lett'em go, Vitriol," Max demanded. "This is between you and me."

Vitriol smirked. "Far from it," he said. "You forget, you're very important to John Dread, and I'm not gonna disappoint him by losing you. You'll stay right'ere or I'll kill this kid 'ere and now."

Max backed off. "Awright Vitriol, you win. Let the kid go."

"Sir!" one of his Dread troops said, shouting down from the doorway.

"What?" Vitriol replied back, not taking his eyes off Steel.

"He's here."

****

To be continued. . .


	12. Psycho Arrives

****

STORM FURY - PART XII

Psycho's jet plane flew in for a landing on the Sykes Family lawn. Several of Dread's troops dressed in black and red armor greeted the departing passenger. The man didn't look pleased, but then again, even with that sadistic grin, Psycho wasn't known as Simile for nothing. A term Max Steel sardonically called him, for which he hated.

He felt an ache in his mechanized arm. A glitch perhaps? He'd have Dread's mechanics work on it. Since his last encounter with Max Steel it hadn't felt right. He thought the discomfort was only his imagination, but every time he tried to try it, it ran sluggish.

Psycho was not pleased he had to travel all the way out here. He would've rather stayed and waited for Vitriol to bring Steel to him, so he could kill him in the worse way possible, after Dread was finished with him of course. But Dread wanted someone out here he could trust, and knowing Vitriol's track record with Max Steel, it seemed a reasonable course of action, though an irritating one for Psycho.

Max Steel was not someone to take likely. Psycho thought of him as a slippery fish. You think you'd have the upper hand, but then he does something unexpected and comes out with the advantage, and escapes. He considered him lucky. There was no way Josh McGrath, a college kid still in his freshman year was as skilled as he appeared to be, even with a background in extreme sports.

But it was those damn nano-probes. They were the secret to his strength, but at the same time were his greatest weakness. His T-Juice, as he called it -- when it got low weakened him to the point that he couldn't function properly, even for a human. They were an intricate part of him. Just like Psycho's claw was to him.

Bio-Constrictor, who used to be a bio-chemist with N-Tek, told him how the nano-probes functioned. Max Steel and the nano-probes had some sort of symbiotic relationship that depended on the other to survive. If one was in trouble, both felt it. Like twins feeling the other's pain.

But unlike Max Steel, he didn't depend on his claw to survive, his life was entirely his own and no tiny robots controlled his fate.

Like all robots, they'd eventually break down even with constant maintenance, and Max Steel would die. And he relished that day. His greatest nemesis, destroyed! But that wouldn't be any fun. He wanted to kill Max Steel, and do it with his claw. He owned Max at least that for all the times he'd foiled his plans to make a little cash.

A trooper ran over to him, but before he could say anything, Psycho spoke first. "Report trooper," he ordered. "Where's Max Steel? I was told he'd be here when I arrived. If Vitriol's screwed up again--"

"He hasn't, sir," the trooper said, swallowing nervously. The sight of Psycho made him sweat in his uniform. "There's just a slight problem."

Psycho's eyes glowed beat red. Whatever the problem, however minute, it already made him angry. He said, "And what problem is this?" And the trooper explained about the problem they had with a kid. "If Vitriol doesn't know how to handle a kid then he shouldn't be in this business. I don't care what his excuse is. I want Max Steel out here now."

The trooper saluted, though he didn't need to. Psycho was Dread's right hand man, but he was not part of any military organization. It was merely a formality of respect. But Psycho didn't seem to mind it.

Vitriol had Max Steel right where he wanted him. He could blast him and kill the man who'd been his arch-nemesis for many years. But he couldn't, or he'd be killed by Dread. And there was no place on this planet that he could escape John Dread's reach. So he had to play ball with Dread, and do what he was hired to do, to bring Max to him.

"You're lucky I'm restricted from killing you, Steel," he said. "I'll be my pleasure to blast you and kill all those tiny nanobots inside your body, to fry them and cook you from the inside out. But Dread wants you alive. Though that doesn't go for this little Hardy Boy wannabe."

"Stop Vitriol!" Max said strongly. "I'll do what you want. Let'em go and I'll go with you willingly and without trouble."

"Nice try, Steel, but you've never been one to play by the rules. And that goes double for that little vixen of a partner, Kat Ryan. Nice little body she has, don't you think? We're guys, you can tell me."

"My relationship with Kat is strictly platonic." Though that's not what he felt at the hospital when he told her he loved her. But that was Electrix he was talking to her and not Kat. "She's my partner."

"Really now." Vitriol smirked and produced a slight chuckle. "I beg to differ. A little bird told me otherwise, and another interesting secret of yours. And I couldn't believe it when I heard it. But there's others in the room. Just note that I know all about you, Max Steel. All."

Max's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. Did Vitriol know who he really was? Did Electrix tell him what he said to Kat or who he thought was Kat at the hospital? She'd be the kind of woman who would tell.

"It doesn't matter what you think you know, Vitriol," he said. "It won't help you. Even if you think you know what you think you know it changes nothing. I'm still the same man inside and out. But as for you, you're never be anything different than what you are."

"Watch it, Steel, I still have the kid. Make a move and his brains get spattered throughout this room. You're a man who cares for his fellow man, while I'm only in it for myself. Once this operation of Dread's is over and you're dead, I'm starting up my own criminal organization. And they'll be no one to stop me from taking what I desire."

"I'm only one agent, there's a dozen of me, and hundreds of N-Tek agents out there who'd gladly put you six feet under after what I tell them what you did to Johnson. He had a wife and three kids. There'll be no place you can hide. Once the word's out, you're be hunted from one hemisphere to another. They'll never relent until you're theirs. So you're finished no matter what, Vitriol. Let the kid go and help me stop Dread's plan and I'll ask the judge to grant you leniency."

Vitriol laughed. "Nice speech. I especially like the part about revenge. You've really got a knack for the dramatic. But I was never one to care what others thought about me. I live for the moment, and your time is just about up. I've decided not to let Dread have you. I want the pleasure of killing you right 'ere." He raised an arm and generated a bionic charge, but he was suddenly stopped by a trooper.

The trooper came down the stairs and said, "He's here."

Vitriol growled disdainfully. "What rotten luck, but apparently good luck for you, Steel. You see, my partner's just arrived to take you to Dread. But I would've loved to blast you into oblivion!"

"Maybe next time." Max said with a guise of confidence, smirking thin, but in all true honestly was relieved, and breathed out a captured, silent breath of relief. He squeezed a fist at his side wanting so much to run over there and break Vitriol's neck, but the instant he made a move Tommy would be killed. It was so frustrating not being able to do anything, but perhaps being a secret agent with powers like his was knowing when to pick your moments. And this was not one of them.

Vitriol took a step up the stairs and then another with Tommy as his hostage. Two Dread troops lead Max with their weapons poised on him to follow him. They went through the house and then outside. And there standing beside his jet plane was the sadistic monster Psycho.

Max knew eventually Psycho would show up. He didn't like Dread much, but if enough money was thrown his way he was always for hire. He once told him that Dread was holding him back. But apparently Psycho thought otherwise as he was here. They stared at each other with complete dislike for the other. It was always Max's intention to one day locate Psycho's off-switch and terminate him once-and-for-all. But every time he tried, the bastard kept coming back and more sadistic than before. He was a loose cannon and he needed to be taken down. But how?

But this was not the time for such thoughts, Tommy was his main concern. Vitriol had him and there was nothing he could do until Tommy was free.

"Well, you did get Max Steel after all, Vitriol," Psycho said. "And 'ere I thought you failed again. You proved me wrong. Glad to see I can at least count on you for something, other than screwing up."

Vitriol didn't say anything as much as he would liked to. But it would be unprofessional for partners to squabble in the midst of the enemy. So he held his tongue. But a snarl crawled, crept onto his face.

"So this is the kid who's been giving you so much trouble I've heard about," Psycho said, reaching down and clutching Tommy's chin in his metal hand. "Kids these days. They see too much violence and heroics on TV and think they can become the very thing they witness. Superheroes, role models. . . It'll only rot your brain, kid. Become a criminal, it's so much more rewarding and fun."

"No," Tommy said firmly. "You're an evil man, and I'm not evil. I can never become someone like you." Then Tommy said two words that shocked even Psycho. Two words than his mother would wash his mouth out with soap for saying. And Psycho laughed heartily.

Psycho smirked, though you couldn't tell. "Feisty brat, aren't you. I like'em," he said. "I think we'll take'em with us."

"No!" Max protested, and took a step forward. The two Dread troops stopped them by getting between him and the others. Max ceased, seeing was a inch away from a laser blast to his chest. "Leave'em with his mother. He's no use to you. You want me, then here I am."

"You're hardly in a position to make demands, Steel," Psycho said.

It was then that Tommy did one of the bravest things he'd ever done. He foresaw the risks but didn't care and stomped on Vitriol's foot. Vitriol released him favoring his foot. Then Tommy started to run towards Max. Vitriol raised an arm to blast him, but Psycho stopped him and extended his claw instead, and grabbed Tommy at the waist. "No!" He struggled against the awesome power of a steel grip, but to no avail. "Let me go!"

"Let'em go, Psycho!" Max shouted, and he smashed the heads of the two troopers together, knocking them unconscious. "Release'em or I'll--"

"Or you'll do what?" Psycho said back, retracting his claw with Tommy. He brought the kid to within a foot from him. "You'll do nothing. I have the kid, and if you want to keep'em alive you'll do what I say."

Max clenched his teeth angry. Psycho had him. And as long as he had Tommy, he was powerless to do anything.

Just then one of Dread's troops raced out the front door and to Vitriol. He was out of breath, but as soon as he settled down he said, "We have a problem, sir. The detonators are activated, and they can't be stopped. We have less than five minutes before the house explodes."

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	13. The Plot Thickens

**_STORM FURY - PART 13_**

"What d'you mean you can't deactivate them?" Vitriol questioned with anger as the Dread troop told him about the explosives planted throughout the exterior of the Sykes home. "You're a moron!"

Vitriol left Psycho and went to examine the closest detonator. Max Steel stayed where he was fearing if he moved Tommy would feel the brunt. But he couldn't believe that this situation was happening. The bombs were malfunctioning and it appeared they couldn't be neutralized? What sort of cheap paraphernalia was John Dread buying?

Vitriol opened the casing and examined the timing device and the wires within. It was then that Vitriol looked back at Psycho and said, "Someone's tampered with this bomb. I can't turn it off or the safeties will make it prematurely blow. I put together and programmed these things myself. They shouldn't be malfunctioning like this."

"Maybe it's just this one, sir?" The troop wondered.

So Vitriol examined another one and it was the same.

"It must've been when the kid and I were struggling for the remote key. Pressing all those buttons must've fired something in the matrix or reprogrammed them somehow. I can't stop it. We've gotta get outta 'ere!"

"Calm yourself, Vitriol," Psycho said calmly, almost chuckling. "We have plenty of time." Then he turned to Max. "But I'm afraid the same can't be said for you, Steel. So what will it be? Save the kid and risk the others or sacrifice the kid and save the others? Tick, tick. Time's wasting. Better think fast, Steel, or you're gonna need the victims dental records to make a positive ID of the bodies."

Max looked at him with a harsh glare. But he was right. Part of being a secret agent was making tough choices. And in order to save the hostages, N-Tek's SWAT team and Tommy's mother, he'd have to let Psycho take Tommy. He hated the idea of letting Tommy go, but it would only be for a short while. And he knew Tommy would be save, because they needed him as a hostage. John Dread still wanted him.

"Tommy. . .I'm sorry," he said with heavy heart. "I'll come back for you. Be brave. It will only be temporary."

A tear streamed down Tommy's face. "I will," he said. "Save my mom."

"I will Tommy," Max said. "You have my word."

"I over heard them say their base is in Arizona."

Max smiled. "Thanks Tommy," he said, and then ran into the house.

"Little brat," Vitriol voiced. "Why'd hafta go and say that? Now Steel knows where our hideout is, Psycho. He'll have N-Tek crawling all over that state looking for us now. They'd probably on their way now. You know Martinez, he's always listening through Steel's bio-net."

"Your fears are pathetic, Vitriol, this is what John Dread wants."

"Then why'd I hafta go through this whole babysitting thing with the Sykes if we're not going to bring Steel back with us? I don't get it."

"You don't get it because you're an idiot," Psycho said. "We have the kid now. N-Tek won't dare send out an offensive against us or they'll risk killing him and his father back in Arizona."

"And why is that?" Vitriol asked.

"Because it's all part of Dread's plan."

"So whadda we do with the kid?"

"Take'em with us of course."

"Aren't we gonna wait for Steel to return?"

"No, he can come to us." Psycho turned and headed towards the jet plane, carrying Tommy in his claw.

"Let me go, you mechanized monster!" Tommy shouted. "Help!"

"As for you," Psycho started to say, "time to say good-night." And Psycho opened a compartment in his arm and out sprayed sleeping gas, and Tommy collapsed unconscious. He then tossed the kid to Vitriol. Vitriol just barely caught him. "You carry'em. Let's go."

Psycho climbed into the pilot seat, Vitriol climbed into the back and placed Tommy in his lap. The canopy closed and the craft lifted off.

Psycho's last thought before they left the Sykes properly was he had no problem if Max survived or not.

The plane soared into the sky and headed south west.

* * *

Bio-Constrictor was in his lab, inside John Dread's base beneath the Arizona desert. He was conducting several experiments on human DNA and his subject of choice was Kat Ryan. Frozen in a cryostatis chamber she was unaware of what her captor was doing to her. And if she knew, she would definitely not approve. 

John Dread entered the lab. Two reinforced metal doors separated the corridor beyond from the inside. He surveyed the room and saw it was bustling with activity by his associate. He had chosen to employ the man N-Tek nicknamed Bio-Constrictor because of his background in bio-physics and he needed a bio-physicist for this project/operation.

The lab housed state-of-the-art equipment that he purchased from illegal dealers and smugglers. Everything was top of the line and he spared no expense. Bio-Constrictor requested all these things and he was more than happy to oblige as long as they used properly and towards the cause.

"Sweet and lovely," John Dread said as he placed a hand on Kat Ryan's cryostatis chamber. He wiped the mist from the window and looked at her beautiful face. "I must admit, I will regret killing her. Ms. Ryan has a grace and flare to her of no woman I have seen." Bio-Constrictor was too involved with his experiments to respond. "But her death will be essential. Isn't that right, Doctor?"

But the doctor he was referring to wasn't Bio-Constrictor, but Dr. Ben Sykes, son of Dr. Richard Sykes. He was imprisoned in a makeshift prison cell beside the cryostatis cooling vats. Dr. Ben Sykes was sitting in a corner at the back. John Dread thought it was only courteous not to bind his hands as he was volunteering with Bio-Constrictor's experiments. Well, more like assisting involuntarily. But John Dread promised that his family would not be harmed if he did. Not that he had a choice. Vitriol was stationed out at his home holding his wife and son hostage as collateral. Dr. Ben Sykes was not happy.

"Come, come doctor. There's no need to look so glum," Dread said. "We cracked the secrets to the human genome that have been plaguing mankind for centuries. All the secrets of the universe are unlocked and are ready to be explored. Thanks to your overwhelming assistance. This is a monumental breakthrough in human genetics. You should be pleased."

"You're insane," he said. "You're raping the natural world."

"It took evolution billions of years to develop to this point, and now the most intelligent species on the planet has the power to understand our existence by looking through the hourglass of our own creation. You disappoint me, doctor. I thought you would be more excited."

"You have what you want, why do you still need me?"

"Because your knowledge our this base is jeopardizing to the success of my operation. If I let you go, what would stop you from going to the authorities? Unless of course you care about your family which I still hold hostage. No doctor, your place is here, at the birth of a new dawn in human engineering. You'll live to see your life's work."

A video monitor beeped and since Bio-Constrictor was occupied with other things John Dread answered the call. The monitor was on the wall next to a second laboratory view window. John Dread said, "On," and a live image of Psycho appeared. "Ah Psycho, I hope you have good news?"

"Steel escaped," he said.

John Dread's facial expression didn't change, he had expected this. "How did he escape?" he asked, not showing worry.

And Psycho told him.

"That is unfortunate, but not unforeseen," John Dread said. Then he saw what looked like a small child sitting on Vitriol's lab in the second seat. "Vitriol, what do you have there?"

Psycho's image was exchanged for Vitriol's. "Dr. Sykes's son," he explained. Dr. Ben Sykes heard this and ran to the bars. "Tommy?"

Vitriol continued. "He's a regular Dennis the Menace." And Vitriol explained why they had brought him.

"I trust you are on your way back here," John Dread said. "Things are moving smoothly. And our sleeper is in place. Soon we'll have everything to begin."

"What about Max Steel?" Psycho asked.

"He will come to us."

John Dread ended the transmission. "You bastard! What have you done with my son!" Dr. Ben Sykes said with a combination of hatred and despair.

John Dread turned to him. "Your son is perfectly safe, Dr. Sykes," he said. "There has been a slight change in plan. My associates will be bringing him here. He will join you in this joyous occasion. And as long you cooperate no harm will come to him."

John Dread turned and said to Bio-Constrictor, "What's your progress? Will it be ready when Max Steel arrives? I estimate his arrival in approximate a few hours."

"Everything will be in readiness, Mr. Dread," Bio-Constrictor said. "I'm just preparing the finishing touches to the chambers." He spoke like a snake, hissing his t's and s's, his tongue flapping as he said them.

"Good," Dread said, and then he left the lab.

Everything was going according to plan!

* * *

To Be Continued.


	14. Escape, And Trickery

**_STORM FURY - Part 14_**

Max Steel ran down to the basement and released the SWAT team.

"Where's Tommy?" Mrs. Devonshire asked.

But he was hesitate to tell her. "They have him," he said. She began to cry. "Mrs. Devonshire, I will get your son back. I promise. Now everyone get outta the house quickly. Vitriol planted explosives around the exterior of the structure and they're set to go off in less than three minutes. Commander Wright, take Mrs. Devonshire with you and get as far away as possible. I'm gonna try and deactivate these things."

One of the SWAT team picked up Johnson. Though he was dead, they couldn't just leave him there. Out of respect they had to take him back for a proper funeral. Dead, he was still a part of their team.

"You'll need our help," the Commander said.

"Don't worry, I've had training in bomb disposal," Max said.

Commander Wright was a 10 year veteran to anti-terrorism and had been with N-Tek for nearly four. Max Steel had only been with the agency for 8 months, and even Wright didn't know everything. So when Max Steel said he had training in bomb disposal, Wright got a little nervous.

"No, I'll stay with you," he said. "It's my job."

Max nodded. There was no time to argue and he'd need all the help he could get to find and maybe dismantle or detach as many the explosive devices as he could from the Sykes home. Even if he didn't get all of them, he'd could at least save a large portion of the house. If knocking down the dining room wall could be called saving the house.

Max worked one end of the house as Wright worked the other, and to Max's surprise the bombs were non-lethal. They had all the look of real bombs, but there was no explosive material inside. "What the--?" Max expressed. He located another and it was the same.

He went around to the front, Wright was already there. He had a look of confusion on his face like that of Max Steel.

"Steel, the bombs--they're fake," Wright said. He had one in his hand and the timer had run out. No explosion.

"I know," Max said. "They're nothing but chameleon bombs. They look like real bombs, but there's no explosive material." Max suddenly got angry. "Damn it! I coulda stopped Psycho and Vitriol from taking Tommy."

"But you couldn't have known," Wright said.

"This was all a sham."

"But for what purpose?"

"I dunno," Max said. "But I intend to find out."

-

N-Tek reinforcements soon arrived and took charge of the situation. They tried to keep it relatively calm, but the neighboring public just had to be curious and N-Tek had to call in local law enforcement to court the area off and barricade the Sykes property from trespass. But when the media got a hold of the story believing there was a threat to national security, it very quickly became a feeding frenzy and a Q&A session with representatives from both local law enforcement and N-Tek trying to calm the fears of the media.

But little did anyone know that one of the camera jockeys dressed in a jacket affiliated with one of the local news stations was not really one. He was video taping for someone not interested in what happened, but instead the end result. The man was really working for John Dread.

Two medics carried Fred Johnson's body in a black morgue bag into the back of an ambulance. Max Steel silently watched their every movement, mourning for the lost of a friend. And he vowed that Vitriol wasn't going to get away with this. Fred's death was senseless. Vitriol didn't have to kill an unarmed, injured man, just because he was becoming a nuisance and was in need of medical attention.

Jefferson Smith showed his pass and pulled up in a black Saden alongside the Sykes driveway, and Berto was with him. They got out of the car and went over to Max. "Are you all right, Max?" Jefferson asked him. He had he look of sadness on his face, but also anger and confusion. "Commander Wright told me what happened over the scrambler."

"I'm fine, but that's more than can be said bout Fred Johnson," he said. "I know his family. His wife and two kids are gonna be devastated."

"I'll tell them," Jefferson said.

"No, I'll tell'em," Max said. "I knew the man better than you, and we were on the agency Softball team together. He had a homerun streak going on, and he had a wicked curve ball for a Pitcher. I think it'll be better if it came from someone the family knew."

"I agree," Jefferson said. He looked at Berto. Berto looked away from him as if ashamed. And then back at Max with a serious tone to his demeanor. "You left the island without permission, Max. I specifically told you not to get involved in this. You disobeyed a direct order."

"You know why I had to come," Max said seriously. "And I succeeded."

"But Psycho and Vitriol got away with Mrs. Devonshire's son Tommy."

"I know, and I feel really bad about that. But I'm gonna get'em back. I promised his mother."

"You should not have made that promise. We don't know where Psycho and Vitriol went. There has been a system-wide communication disruption on N-Tek Island, we're operating on secondary systems. Very little is getting through our home frequency, or the emergency channel. Martinez has a team on it, trying to track down the problem."

"So that's why you never answered me, bro," he said Berto. "I've heard of a system-wide crash, but never with the emergency channel. That's on a whole different bandwidth." Just then he noticed Berto's face. His left cheek was bruised and was slightly discolored. He didn't know why he hadn't seen it before, maybe because Berto was standing in Jefferson's shadow or he had been too distracted with everything that was going on. "Bro, what the devil happened to your face?"

"Devil could be the right term in this case," he said. "I was attacked by Tempest Storm. He paid us a little visit on N-Tek Island and he tried to take me away with him. We have him locked up in the maximum detection area, in a room insulted with rubber so his attacks are ineffective."

"Tempest attacked N-Tek? Is he nuts? With all the armaments we have on the island we'd wipe the floor with him." Then Max had a thought. "Wait a minute. He was attacking you while I was 'ere? That makes alotta sense actually. Dread wanted me here to rescue the hostages. But they weren't in any danger. The explosives around the Sykes home were fake."

"What are you saying?" Jefferson wondered.

"I mean this whole thing was bogus to get me outta the way so Tempest Storm could kidnap Berto, like Dread did with Kat at the hospital."

"But Tempest failed."

"Yeah, and that's what bugs me. He easily overpowered Kat & I at the prison, and if he could get past N-Tek's defensives, there should've been no problem for him to escape with Berto. How did you capture him?"

"He surrendered to us voluntarily," Berto said. "But not after he was incased in a rubber foam to naturalize his powers. Though he got out of that from what I've been told quite easily by generating an intense, super collective quantity of energy to melt the foam."

"That was our last defense against him; he was scott-free," Jefferson chimed in.

"Something's rotten in Denmark. I think we better get back to N-Tek Island a.s.a.p. I wanna ask our prisoner some questions."

-- TBC


	15. Something Wicked This Way Comes

****

STORM FURY - PART 15

Max piloted Hawk I back to N-Tek headquarters with Berto in the backseat, and met Jefferson Smith in his office when they arrived after the Sykes affair was straightened out.

After a short debriefing, the trio took an elevator down several levels beneath N-Tek Island to the detection block where Tempest Storm was being held. A single guard stood watch over the cell sitting at a centre desk.

In front of him were four TV screens, one for each cell in the detection block, but three of them were off. The only one on was the cell with Tempest Storm inside. From the picture Tempest Storm appeared calm and this bothered Max a little. He thought Tempest Storm would've made a break for it and tear through the detection cell like a knife through butter. But from what Berto told him, Tempest Storm was here to stay.

The room was flooded with negative ions that suppressed Tempest Storm's ability to absorb electricity from the air around him and the walls were lined with rubber for added insurance. It was special for the cell. Without these little features they couldn't hold him. They were the only thing that stopped Tempest Storm from escaping.

Tempest Storm looked like a wrestler or a body builder, but even with his size he couldn't punch through these cell walls. They were reinforced with Titanium steel. No one could break out of this detection cell. Max was the guinea pig and he failed to escape, but of course he didn't have Tempest Storm's powers.

The three walked past the metal door to the cell and entered an adjacent room and observed Tempest Storm through two-way black mirror glass. They could see him, but he couldn't see them. And yet, Tempest Storm seemed to know he was being watched, and not only by video surveillance.

The video camera in the cell with him monitored his every move, but didn't move itself. But Tempest Storm didn't mind it. It actually amused him and he smirked. He turned and looked at the mirror as he sat against the far wall, facing the glass. "I know you're there, Mr. Steel," he said. His words amplified through an intercom system built into the room. "Even though your little genius friend has flooded the cell with negative ions, I can still sense when a powerful energy has come around. And with those little nanonites inside you, and the Transphasic Energy, you produce a very powerful aura."

The opaque of the glass withdrew and the trio stood in clear sight. "You're a brilliant man, Tempest, you coulda had it all, but you blew it and now you're here with us, and here you'll stay if you don't tell us what we want to know," Max Steel said. "Tell us were John Dread is."

Tempest chuckled, he then erupted into a full-blown laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Your threats are meaningless to me, Nano-boy. I'm not afraid of you or your pathetic little agency." He stood up and walked towards the mirror. He glided his fingers over the edges checking for any weakness as he spoke. "If it wasn't for this negative field suppressing my powers you wouldn't be standing behind that glass safe and sound--you'd be dead!"

"Well, someone is sure brimming with confidence. Face it, sunshine, John Dread has left you to rot. There won't be a rescue party. N-Tek Island is the most secure facility on the planet. Nothing arrives or departs without us knowing about it." And yet there was this mysterious signal blocking almost all of the island's communications, disrupting satellite communication. But Tempest Storm didn't have to know that.

"Ha! That's what they said about Alcatraz. But there's always a weakness. You just have to know where to look." And Tempest punched the glass. Max flinched, and Tempest chuckled. He then returned and sat down where he was before. "So, what did you want to know again? Ah yes, where John Dread is keeping your little sweetheart of a girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend, she's my partner. Our relationship is purely platonic."

"Really now, that's not what I heard," he said. "A little bird told me otherwise. You know woman--they love to talk."

"I know they do," Max said. "But they also like to exaggerative and embellish even the smallest detail."

"True, but there's no use in denying it, Steel. It's written all over your face. Love is a powerful thing. Once you find it, grab it, 'cause you never know when and if it might come around again."

Jefferson Smith switched off the intercom. "Max, is what Tempest is saying true? Are you and Kat in a relationship? You know N-Tek policy strictly forbids it."

"He's lying, Dad," Max said. "He's trying to distract us from the main issue. There's nothing between us, honest." And what he said to Kat-or the person he thought was Kay-at the hospital was spoken from the heart. He did have feelings for Kat, but he couldn't admit that here. "You can't believe anything this scumbag says about Kat and I."

"I hope not because you know why."

"I know, it jeopardizes objectivity in the field. You don't hafta worry, Dad. We're agents of N-Tek, and partners, nothing more. That's it."

He nodded, believing his adopted son. "Good, glad to hear it," he said. Jefferson Smith switched on the intercom and said, "Tempest, where is John Dread's base? Tell us what we want to know. The exact coordinates."

"Arizona."

"We already know what, where in Arizona?"

"Look, that's all I'm entitled to tell you. I want my lawyer. Due process under the law and all that shit. I know my rights. I'm not saying another word until I receive legal representation."

"Represent this, psycho!" Max said, and gave him the finger.

Jefferson Smith switched on the opaque, shading the glass. Tempest laughed. The intercom was then switched off. "Max!" he said. "You can't do that to a prisoner, no matter how angry you are."

"But we're getting no where, we need answers," he said. "Let me go in there and rough'em up a little, okay? Just a little."

"No Max," Jefferson said. "If you touch him we'd be liable." Max snorted angry and started to pace the room. Jefferson saw how frustrated he was. "We can hold him for 72 hours without notifying his legal council, we'd need to get the information out of him by then."

"And what if he doesn't talk? Kat could be dead by then."

"I don't think so," Jefferson said. "I wasn't sure before, but can say for certain now that John Dread wants you alive and he won't jeopardize you from coming to him now. If everything at the Sykes home was a ploy then John Dread had no intention of killing you or the hostages in an ambush. Perhaps it's time we started turning the tables in our favor in light of this."

"What do you mean?" Berto wondered.

And Jefferson told them his plan.

-

On board one of John Dread's submarines thirty miles off the coast of N-Tek Island, Electrix sat in the captain's chair, and she was bored.

She was responsible for blocking all of N-Tek Island's communications with radio transmission equipment inside the sub, using N-Tek's own satellites against them. From what news she had received Berto Martinez and a team of his choosing had managed to get a partial signal from their satellites, and that's exactly what she wanted them to think. But in reality, she was the one who opened that window of communication for them under the guise of N-Tek believing they had done it. It was all part of John Dread's plan.

He wanted Electrix to block N-Tek Island's communications so it would distract them from his real agenda. As N-Tek was busy attempting to fix the system-wide communication problem, Dread's troops were busy planting live bombs all over the island at strategic structural points, so when the bombs detonated, the island would sink into the sea, like Atlantis did over 9,500 years ago.

But waiting was her toughest task. She hated to wait. She was not a patient girl. It was a challenge. But if everything went down without a hitch, and so far there had been no snags, she'd be one very rich lady. And with her money, she and Tempest planned to buy their own private island in the Bahamas and settle down as John Dread ruled the world.

She couldn't stop thinking of that night they spend together. She had never been so electrified being with a man. But Tempest Storm stirred emotions in her she thought were long dead since her accident that turned her into a master criminal. Like the chemicals that turned Dr. Clemo into the cold, blooded serpent man BioConstrictor, she too thought she had become cold-hearted to the world, until she met Tempest. But Tempest rekindled her flame and she had fallen in love with him.

Now he sat on N-Tek Island in a 10x10 foot cell being interrogated by Max Steel and others. She could hear every word via a radio chip Tempest had surgically implanted in his neck. She listened with an earphone and she wanted more than anything to break him out of there. But this too was part of Dread's plan. Tempest was supposed to surrender to N-Tek. He's supposed to give Max Steel some valuable information so he'll rush off and try to save his friends in some futile maneuver. But that wasn't all of Dread's plan at this stage. The capture of Dr. Martinez was also a valuable part.

"Mistress Electrix," one of the crew at a computer station said to her. "John Dread demands an update of our progress." She looked at him with a tired stare and then said, "Put his image on the front screen."

The crew member did, and John Dread's image appeared on the screen. He had an average face even with the glasses and if she didn't know him and passed him on the street, she'd never know that he was a terrorist. "Electrix, my dear. I assume everything is going according to plan?"

"I'm bored, John," she said to him. "I'm tried of waiting."

"Patience Electrix," he said. "Everything comes to he or she who waits. But with my deadline approaching, you won't be bored for very much longer. You'll have plenty to do when my new era in humanity begins."

"Honestly John, with all due respect, your plan seems a little far-fetched to me, and then there's Max Steel to deal with. He's still a threat. And we still don't have Dr. Martinez."

"Again, patience Electrix. If anything goes wrong our sleeper will take care of it. He's waiting in the wings just in case. But I trust nothing will go wrong. So far, everything has gone according to my design. I've foreseen every action that N-Tek and Mr. Steel will take."

"You're starting to sound like the Emperor from Star Wars." She said, smirking. But John Dread was not amused. She swallowed nervous, immediately regretting the remark. "I'll monitor Tempest's frequency and keep you apprised of any developments."

"Good," John Dread said, and the transmission ended.

The Emperor from Star Wars? What was she thinking? And yet John Dread's plan did have a ring of familiarity to it, like a plot from a sci-fi movie. Yet unlike a "Death Star", John Dread had something more devious in mind for the world. And Max Steel was a major player in his plan. All they needed was to lure him to where John Dread wanted him.

And that was going to be easy.

- TBC


	16. Max vs Tempest I

Part XVI

"S1 to Dread, the packages have been delivered." John Dread listened to a man say from his intercom box on his desk. John Dread was in his office awaiting just this news. "Just say the word and N-Tek Island will sink like the fabled island of Atlantis, or something to that effect."

"Excellent!" John Dread said. "You've done well. Do they suspect you?"

"They have no clue," the man said. "I'll keep you appraised. S1 out!"

John Dread leaned back in his chair and touched his fingertips together. After contemplating a little, he leaned back towards his desk and his computer and began to type a code into a sophisticated program. It was a program for Morse code, but instead of a series of short and long beeps, this program converted information into electric bio-code. This was his way of communicating with Tempest Storm on N-Tek Island secretly.

Once he finished the communication, he left his office and conducted some unfinished business.

-

Tempest Storm had been left alone as the trio of Max Steel, Dr. Berto Martinez and the N-Tek's administrator, were scheming some way for him to talk about John Dread's plan. He knew this because that's what he would do if he were in the same boat. But apart from physically harming him, their mental acuteness to make him talk was laughable. Even if they did threaten him with physical harm, it would be useless. He wasn't the kind of man who broke under pressure. He was a super villain!

Despite the prison cell was filled with a special inhibitor to stop him from absorbing the electrons from the oxygen in the air, he still had his physical prowess. And not even Max Steel could match that.

He felt a surge of protons enter his body from an unknown source. They weren't enough to generate a charge in his body to break out of here, but they were enough to jumpstart his system for a little boost. And with the charge came a hidden message that only his body could read. It was a message from John Dread. And it told him all was in readiness.

With that, he said out loud, "I'm ready to talk. I'll give you the coordinates to John Dread's lair." The oblique pulled back from the window and revealed the trio on the other side of the glass shield. "But I'm thirsty. I want a drink of water. Then I'll talk."

The intercom was on mute, but he could see the trio talking to each other through the glass. He couldn't read lips, but he didn't need to. It was obvious they were going to do anything they could to get the information he had so they could save their agent.

Dr. Martinez left the booth. He apparently had been chosen to get the water. Tempest knew it wouldn't be Max Steel, because the negative ions in the air were toxic to his nano probes. Even a brief exposure would send his system into shock, shutting down the electronic signals used by them so they could communicate with each other in his body. But a normal person was unaffected by them. The negative ions passed through them as if they didn't exist, ignoring the electrical pathways.

"You better tell us what we want to know, Tempest," Max Steel finally spoke, his voice loud and clear through the intercom system.

"Trust me, in time all will be clear, and you'll know everything," he said. The door to his cell opened and Berto walked in with a glass of water. The guard on the outside had his rifle locked in on Tempest to protect him. "Ah, thank you." Tempest got up from sitting. The guard cocked his rifle as if thinking Tempest was about to do something. "You can back off with the weapon," he said. "All I want is the water."

Berto put the water down on the floor a few meters from him and then backed away, but he didn't leave the cell. Tempest went over and picked up the glass of water and partook in quenching his dry throat. He gulped it down and expressed a sensation of pleasure. "Ah! That was delicious," he said. "Water does the body a world of good. Did you know that?" he directed the question to Berto. "Water is one of the four main elements of the world and it contains powerful properties for nature to survive. Without it there would be no life. Don't you agree?"

Berto nodded. "It's a lubricate for the body, creating faster blood flow, and stimulating ions in the body for electrical energy," he said. "But that is not water."

Tempest looked at the glass perplexed. "Then what did you give me?" he asked.

"A bio-liquid substitute that acts like water. It doesn't harm the body, but it doesn't have the same properties as water. I'm not stupid, Tempest. I knew why you asked for water. It would assist in creating a electrical charge in your body so you could escape."

"Smart boy," he said. "But with you here I don't need the water." With aid from the electrons in John Dread's message he received earlier, he was able to generate a force stint in the air and push the guard away from the door. Then he grabbed Berto and started to drain his bio-energy. "You may have the intelligence, kid, but not the experience."

"Berto!" Max shouted from the booth.

Max ran to the door, but Jefferson grabbed him. "No Max!" he said. "The negative ions from the cell have carried into the corridor outside. If you open that door, you'll be exposed to them and your nano probes will short circuit. You will die."

"But we have to save Berto," he said insistent.

"I know, but we can't risk you being exposed. I'm trapped here too! I'll alert N-Tek security to apprehend him."

Tempest smiled and said, "Thank you, little man, for being so helpful in charging my battery." And he took Berto out into the corridor, shutting the metal door behind him so the negative ions could not affect him. Some had carried out into the corridor, but the dosage was minimal. Berto was very weak and Tempest had to carry him. He hung the teenager over his shoulder and made his way down the corridor to an elevator.

But he didn't get far when the elevator dinged and out came a horde of N-Tek security troops. "Déjà vu," Tempest said, "but not." And he fired off a blast of electrical energy at the troops. As they were trapped and could not flee from the enclosed corridor they took the brunt of the attack. They dropped to the ground like flies. But Tempest didn't kill them, it was merely a warning to stay out of his way.

The corridor air now filtered from negative ions, Max Steel was able to exit the booth. Jefferson Smith followed him. "Stop!" he demanded, from Tempest. And Tempest turned around to face him. Max stood about twenty yards away from Tempest Storm in a perpendicular corridor. "Let Berto go now!" he ordered.

Tempest chuckled. He looked at Jefferson Smith behind Max Steel. "Again we seem to be in the same situation as before, Jefferson Smith, but this time you don't have a rocket launcher with rubber pellets. How do you intend to hold me now? Your playboy agent here? Please."

"Oh I can stop you, Tempest," Max said, his temper flaring. "Just try me, one-on-one. And lets see who the better fighter is. No tricks."

"No tricks?" Max Steel nodded. Tempest smirked. If he could bring back both Dr. Martinez and Max Steel, John Dread would probably give him a bonus on top of what he's already paying him, and it would quicken the pace in his little plan. He needs Max Steel anyway, so why not deliver the agent on a silver platter and reap the rewards of virtue? He dropped Berto on the ground. "Your on, Steel. Mono-eh-mono. You and me."

"Max," Jefferson said in his concerned voice.

"Don't worry, I can handle this walking light bulb," he said.

"Edison invented the light bulb, I'm Evolutions next step in human endeavor," Tempest said. "Time to have a little fun!"

He out-stretched his hands in front of him and sent out a massive blast of electricity in Max Steel's direction. Dancing energy bolts soared through the air with lightning speed.

Max Steel jumped out of the way smothering his adopted dad from the blast, landing on the floor. But as Tempest Storm was in complete control of it, he was able to manipulate it any way he pleased, and changed its direction to strike his enemy.

Max Steel roared off Jefferson Smith and rolled in agony as the blast hit him in the ribs. It felt like touching a livewire with wet hands and his entire body became numb, void of feeling, just like at Corinth Prison when he was zapped by Tempest Storm fleeing the scene. He tried to move, but couldn't. Or that's what he wanted Tempest to think. "Not fair, man. Unsportsmanlike penalty." Max Steel said weak. Max turned and noticed Jefferson was unconscious. The blast hit him too.

"You never stated the rules," Tempest Storm said, going over to him. He passed the unconscious Jefferson Smith and stood over Max. "With a game of life and death, rules are important. No matter, I have no time to play with you. I have a timetable to keep. And as everything is on schedule, I will make my leave of you and this wrecked little island."

Suddenly Max grabbed Tempest's ankle, and Tempest looked at him surprised. "What?" he expressed.

"Surprise!" Max Steel said and swept the villain off his feet with a leg sweep. Max got up and stood over him.

"But how? My lightning strike shoulda finished you."

"There's an old saying: 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' You really didn't think I would be fooled by the same trick twice, did you? My new uniform is made of rubber isolated polymers than repel electricity. So you attacks won't have any affect on me."

"Very clever," Tempest said. "But you forgot one thing."

"And what is that?" Max wondered.

"Human skin is not a retardant for electricity." And Tempest Storm zapped Max in the face. Max grabbed his face and suddenly his Max Steel persona began to sizzle in and out. Max Steel staggered away, still holding his face and almost tripped over Jefferson Smith. Tempest looked confused at this happenstance and quickly came to the logical conclusion that the man was… "So, a holographic projection, eh? To hide the real persona behind the muscle and might of Max Steel. Let's see who you really are."

Tempest went over to him and grabbed Max's hands and tore them from his face. But suddenly the lingering smile that had crept onto his face was replaced by a look of shock and dismay.

"Surprise!" Max Steel said smirking, and head butted Tempest in the face. Tempest grabbed his nose and felt the warm touch of blood on his hands. "Two can play at the defenseless animal routine." He punched Tempest in the stomach once, twice, three times, and caused the muscular villain to back away from the uprising hero.

"I think my nose is broken!" Tempest said. He removed a hand from his face and it was covered in blood. And if he could see his face, streams of blood ran from both his nostrils and down his face. "You'll pay for this, Steel!" He quickly extended a hand and fired off a bolt of electricity at Max, but Max counteracted the attack with a new weapon Berto had developed devised to absorb electrical attacks.

Max took out a gun from a leg holster and fired a blast of compressed rubber that expanded like a net which created a barrier absorbing the electricity as it soared through the air. It soared towards Tempest and wrapped itself around him. Tempest struggled against its grip, but he couldn't brake free.

"The more you struggle the more it tightens, Tempest," Max said. "Something newly developed and designed from N-Tek Labs specifically to be tested on you. We call it the Electro-Net."

Tempest snarled angrily. "One of Dr. Martinez's inventions, I presume?" he said. "He's a smart teenager, but he's a fool!" Tempest closed his eyes and generated a white hot electrical burst which melted the Electro-Net right off him.

Max had shed his eyes when the burst occurred, but when he looked back, after his eyes cleared of the blurriness, he was taken aback to see Tempest was free of the net. "An electrical burst hot enough melts even rubber," Max said, clenching his teeth. "Shoulda known that."

"Not even first year chemistry students know that one, so don't feel too bad," Tempest said. "I grow tired of this game." He turned and extended a hand towards Berto who was laying unconscious on the floor and used his powers of electro-magnetism to float Berto to him. He hung the teenager over his shoulder. "Until we meet again, Mr. Steel, and I'm sure that will be very soon."

Raising a hand towards the ceiling, he used his powers to melt a hole through the metal, creating a sizable hole for him to float up into. Max ran over and watched as Tempest melted his way through several levels and out into open space. Hot liquid metal dripping down through the hole as he went, and Max avoided each drop.

He ran over to Jefferson Smith and tapped him awake, "Dad, you all right?" he asked concerned, knowing he had caught part of an electric blast by Tempest. Jefferson Smith moaned.

"Did he?" he asked weakly.

"Yeah, Tempest escaped. I'm going after him. He has Berto. Will you be okay?" Jefferson nodded and sat up. Max then ran to a storage locker and grabbed a jet pack.

He strapped it on--took one last look at his adopted father to see he was okay--and then blasted through the hole Tempest made, soaring into the sky. "You're not getting away this time, Tempest Storm!" he said, his voice brimming with determination. "You're mine!"

-- TBC

Reviews are welcome and are requested. I get the feeling lately no one is interested in this story. So, tell me one way or the other. Would you like me to finish this story or not?


	17. Max vs Tempest II

**_Story Fury: Part XVII_**

Tempest levitated through the hole he had made with his control of electricity and further blasted his way out of the N-Tek facility through several more levels. Debris from the explosion fell down, and came crashing down to the detection level. Max Steel had to jump out of the way to keep from getting crushed. Mortar and steel spattered across the floor and kicked up dust that filled the corridor. A large piece of debris narrowly missed his right leg, which would most certainly have crushed it.

Max and Jefferson coughed, and when the dust settled Max heard his father say, "Max, are you okay?"

Max eyed the mountain of debris underneath the hole in the ceiling, and then said, "Yeah, I'm just peachy. Can't say the same for the roof. Looks like Tempest just blasted his way through every level. On the bright side, we now have a sunroof." He went to his dad and helped him to his feet. "The question is, are you okay? Tempest zapped you."

"He only knocked the wind out of me, I'm fine."

Max nodded. Then he went to a storage locker and took out a jet pack. He strapped it on. "I'm goin' after'em. I'm not gonna let'em take Berto. He played us for suckers. He coulda escaped anytime he wanted, but instead bided his time. I wanna know why. I've had e'nuff of all this running around. I want answers."

"Be careful, son. Tempest is very dangerous. He's more powerful than Electrix. Watch yourself."

"Got it covered, he's not the only one who can deliver some damage."

Max gave his father a thin smile and then took hold of the handles of the jet pack. He activated the boosters and blasted his way through the hole Tempest had made, and out of the N-Tek facility and into open space. Funny thing was, Tempest was there waiting for him.

"You're so predictable for a hero, Max," Tempest said. "So cliché to come after me."

"You have my friend and fellow agent, what else would you expect? Now hand'em over!"

"Let's have a little fun first."

And he decided to play a little cat and mouse and lead Max on a chase around the circumference of the island. "Is that all ya got, Tempest?" Max shouted at him.

Tempest looked back at him and smiled mischievously. "So, you wanna play with me, eh Steel? Then fine." He stopped and fired several bolts of electricity at him with one hand as he was holding Berto with the other. But Max dodged every attack and headed straight for him, with his arms outright. Tempest's eyes widened as Max barreled into him and they wrestled several miles above the island. The impact made Tempest drop Berto. Max saw Berto fall. "Me or your friend, Steel. Make a choice." Max without hesitation chose to save Berto and turned and fired his jet pack in pursuit. But Tempest didn't make it easy for him and fired several bolts of electricity in his attempt. But each attack missed, though they did come close.

Max snatched Berto's leg and held onto him tightly. He just barely missed the tree line as he reserved the boosters and glided safely over the foliage with Berto in his grasp.

Tempest followed him, and tuned into Max's bio-audio frequency. "Impressive, the typical genetic hero. Always there to save the day. You're quite the hero, Steel. N-Tek must be glad to have you on their side. I'd be intrigued to see your negative-self, you know like Bizarro Superman. You'd make a great terrorist!"

"Never gonna happen, Tempest," Max said back. "I believe people like me are born to stop people like you."

"You're so naïve, you'd love it. Admit it. All that power at your fingertips. You'd ravage in the pleasure terrorizing the world would bring you. The riches, the glory, the women. Seven virgins for every king."

"I'm a one woman guy."

"I know, Kat Ryan. She's a beauty. Too bad she's dead."

Max stopped and hovered in place, and Tempest approached him. They met face-to-face. "You're lying!" he said. "Kat's not dead!"

Tempest chuckled. "You're right, I am. But it got you to stop, didn't it? So, you do have strong feelings for her. But that was evident from the first moment I encountered you two. I may have been a nerd before my accident, but I still know what it means to be a human being and in love, and it's written all over your face."

"You're mistaken in your assumptions. She's a fellow agent, nothing more."

Tempest smirked. "I beg to differ," he said. "Hand over Dr. Martinez, or do you want your nanoprobes to become permanently disabled?" Tempest said, changing the subject, and raised a single finger. A small spark flared and began to generate a charge.

"I'm willing to wager you won't attack me," Max said confidently. "Dread wants me alive for some reason. You can't kill me. He has you and those over lapdogs working for him on a short leash. I'm not stupid, I see what's going on 'ere."

"And what exactly do you see, Max?" Max merely smiled maliciously. "I wish I had the time to play with you, Steel, but I'm on a very tight schedule and you've already made me late for my appointment." He outstretched his hand and zapped Max shocking him into releasing Berto Martinez. Tempest swooped in and collected Berto as he dropped.

However as for Max, the shock shorted out his jet pack and he began to plummet to the ground below. But as John Dread wanted Max Steel alive, Tempest Storm couldn't allow Max Steel to fall to his death, so he dropped down and grabbed Max by the back of his collar just before he was about to hit the ground. He then dropped him to the ground when it was save.

Tempest landed and once again they faced each other. "Thanks. Let's try that again, shall we?" Max said, unbuckling the jet pack and let it drop to the ground, then he went to attack him.

"Your methodical behavior is boring," Tempest said and rose above the ground. But this time, Max was quicker than Tempest had anticipated and grabbed his leg. The sudden yank made him drop Berto and he dropped. Max released Tempest to catch Berto. With all the dropping you'd think that Berto would wake up, but despite all the moving around, he was still completely unconscious.

He put Berto down on the ground.

Tempest landed, he wasn't in a very good mood. "You've pissed me off, Steel. I'm afraid I'm going to hafto do this the old fashion way then," he said. "Since I can't electrocute you as I'd like, it's time I got my hands dirty and beat you to a pulp. John Dread said he wanted you alive, but he never said in what condition." Tempest Storm punched a fist into a palm. "This is gonna be a pleasure."

"You forget one thing, Tempest," Max said.

"And what's that?"

"I'm faster than you are on the ground."

Max pressed his wrist controls and turbo'ed up. He then ran at Tempest and delivered a high/low punch to his chest, which tossed him several meters backwards into a thick bush of ground foliage. But Max knew it would take a lot more than that to incapacitate him. And he was right as Tempest recovered quickly.

"That was a cheap shot," he said.

"You're the king when it comes to those," Max replied.

"You're really getting on my pecs, Steel! You're lucky I can't kill you, 'cause I'd fry you right here."

"Then why don't you enlighten me 'bout John Dread's plans so we can settle this?"

"And tell you all our secrets?" Tempest waved a finger at him, shook his head, and smirked. "John Dread has reserved that right for himself; my lips are sealed." He crossed his arms across his chest. "You're nothing in the grand scheme of things, Steel. You're merely a puppet and Dread has been pulling your strings. It's all a matter of time before it all ends and the world picks up the pieces."

Tempest hovered a foot above the ground.

"I suggest you start to focus on the main issue," Tempest continued.

"And that is?"

"That I'm not the one you should be worrying about. Lock on target and fire!" He said out-loud.

Whoever he had said that to had listened, and suddenly something jettisoned out of the water a few miles off-shore and soared into the sky. Max looked up and zoomed in on it with his optic eyes, and saw that it was a missile. Tempest snatched Berto as it distracted Max.

"I suggest you run, Max," Tempest said. "I'm not going to save your this time. That missile has heat-seeker technology and it's locked onto your bio-signs. But I imagine a man of your ingenuity could cheat death. You've done so many times before. Once more for old times sake?"

Tempest laughed, and then flew off.

But where could Max go if it was locked on to him?

The missile came in and struck the island.

There was a tremendous explosion!

**-- TBC**


	18. Max Steel Finally Captured!

_**STORM FUTY Pt 18**_

His evil persona returned to haunt his dreams and Kat lay at the monster's feet.

Josh McGrath looked at Max Steel, exhausted from the searing heat of the barren desert. He didn't know how he got here, but this is where the two of them had first met.

His evil self took out a gun from a holster and shot Kat in the head, murdering the woman Josh loved. Her dead body dropped lifeless in front of him.

Max Steel laughed.

Josh screamed, "_Nooo!_"

He jerked awake and suddenly found himself in a queen size bed underneath silk sheets in a room decorated to only a woman's delicate forte.

He was woozy and cold. Then he realized he was naked. He sat up in the bed.

"Good, you're awake," Electrix said, as she walked into the room carrying Max's uniform on a hanger. She hung it up in a closet on the opposite side of the room. Then she went to him and stood at the foot of the bed. "I was getting concerned that you'd never wake up from your coma. It's been three hours; you nearly drowned. We brought you aboard."

"Coma?"

"Interesting way of saving yourself, using the last of your Transphasic energy to generate an energy shield around your body to protect yourself from the missile blast. I would never have thought of that. But of course, I'm not you."

He looked around the room again and said, "How did I get here?"

"I just told you," she said.

"No, I mean here, in this bed?"

"I thought I'd make you more comfortable as you recovered."

"And why am I naked?"

"Your clothes were soaked, the blast catapulted you into the water. Plus I wanted a peak."

Max smirked thin. "You're being unusually hospitable for a maniacal megalomaniac."

"I'm not a complete bitch," she said.

"You said it, not me," he said.

"I rescued you from a watery grave, I thought you'd be a little more grateful!"

Max crossed his arms across his chest. "Thanks," he said. "But why?"

"I have my reasons."

"John Dread wants me alive, right? What's John Dread up too?"

"To the point. You're not much for small talk, are you?" She suddenly pulled out a gun from a holster attached to her belt behind her back and pointed it at him. Max looked unafraid. "Would you prefer this? One press of the trigger and it'll be over."

Max was unafraid, too many people had told him John Dread wanted him alive. There was no way Electrix was going to jeopardize his plans. "Are you goin' kill me? They'll be alotta questions asked and John Dread won't get his prize."

"For what you did to my brother, your death should be more than satisfaction e'nuff." But then she lowered the gun. "But I'm under orders not to kill you no matter what. Yes, John Dread wants you alive. If you die here he'll kill me."

"Just tell me where he is and I'll end this," Max said.

"Arizona," she said.

"I know that already. Tell me the exact coordinates of his base and I'll send them to N-Tek. That's if you drop the communications black out you have on the island so I can contact them. It wasn't hard to figure out that a submarine was the only way to block our satellite signals. N-Tek knows you're out here and they'll find you."

"Then they'll be looking in the wrong place," she said. "We're no longer off the coast of N-Tek Island." She went to the closet again and took out a pair of blue jeans. She went back to Max and tossed them at him. They landed on his lap. "Here, put these on. Your uniform is so trite. I want you to be comfortable; you're my guest until we reach our destination. You and Tempest are the same size in the waist."

Max grabbed the jeans and started to put them on underneath the sheets. Then suddenly what she had said stuck him and he stopped. He said, "You and Tempest?" He smirked. "Why am I not surprised. I'm guessing there was a spark?"

She looked at him, but found his sarcastic remark unfunny. She snapped her fingers and placidly electrified the air around him to discharge a mild static shock. "Ow!" he said, he tightened inward feeling the shock. "Fine, bad joke. Sorry."

Max stood up and buttoned his pants, and then said, "He's quite insane, you know," when finished. He put his hands on his hips.

She looked at him and for the first time in the longest time he saw that sweet girl he once knew before the accident that turned her into Electrix.

"Underneath that rough exterior he's the nicest man in the world," she said. "He wants much what everyone else wants, but society has branded him a freak. And he has to do what he feels he must to make sense of his world and if that means becoming a criminal…"

"There are better ways to go about stamping out that sorta stigma."

"You wouldn't understand." She lifted her hands and turned her palms upwards, looking at them. "The trails and tribulations of having to go through life as…not normal."

"I know full well what it feels like. You life isn't your own anymore, having to wake up everyday living life as someone else, weary of everything you do not to get noticed. I'm an agent of N-Tek, but I'm also a human being. But there are things that are just out of my reach now because I've chosen a different path."

"Did you chose that path or was it chosen for you?"

Max didn't answer that. "I've make my bed," is all he said.

"So have I. And now I have a chance to make the world a better place, and John Dread is fulfilling that dream. It just makes me sick that N-Tek and other agencies think they have the right to police the world and destroy the lives of anyone they see fit because they might be a threat."

"And when did N-Tek destroy someone's life? If you're referring to your brother, you know the answer. He was a threat. And now you've gotten involved with Tempest, who's an even bigger threat with an even larger malcontent temper."

"No, you're the true threat," she said angry, and in her anger the gun melted in her hand; liquid metal dripped to the floor bubbling in its own juices. Max swallowed nervous and took a mental step back. "N-Tek couldn't leave well enough alone and let my brother finish his experiments in harnessing lightning as an alternative source of energy. He was an accomplished and well respected scientist and a brilliant mechanical engineer. Now his talents go to waste as he rots in prison and his only crime was trying to offer a natural solution to the world's energy crisis."

"He was a threat not only to the planet but also to himself. He was emotionally unstable and we had to act against him before he did something stupid. His eccentric experiments were going too far and creating crazy weather patterns all around the globe. We had to put an end to them. He was a very disturbed individual and I'm sorry you couldn't see him for that."

Max suddenly felt the hairs on his arms stand erect and in a bright flash Electrix delivered a sizeable electric shock to his body. He cringed over in pain and dropped to his knees; his arms folded across his chest clutching his shoulders. His teeth gritting in agony, his body feeling completely numb.

It lasted for a long while and his nanoprobes went haywire. He collapsed to the floor twitching in a seizure like state, but he was conscious and.

Electrix stood over him feeling no remorse. "Speak ill about my brother again, Steel, and there's a worse shock in store for you. That was mild to say the least. You'll never know what it means to have a sibling. You're an only child." Max looked up at her confused. "Yes, I know who you are. Josh McGrath, adopted heir of N-Tek's administrator Jefferson Smith. Your father was an agent and your mother drowned. You have no other family but those you've bonded with at your job. Pathetic! John Dread told me everything about you."

He tried to speak, but expressed nothing but short angry breaths of air. Then after a moment to compose his breathing, he said, "Bitch!"

She laughed, and it was a wicked laugh.

Max snorted out a heavy breath and unclenched his arms from across his chest. He slowly got to his feet. His nanoprobes were starting to recover on their own which was unusual, from what he could tell, his own body was compensating for those probes that were destroyed by the electrical shock. The numbness started to fade. "You're right, I am an only child and an orphan, but that doesn't mean I don't understand what it means to have people who care about me," he started to say. "The people at N-Tek are my family. Each one of them raised me since I was a child and I couldn't ask for better parents. The whole is better than the sum of its parts. Remember that." He stood upright. "And that's why I intend to stop John Dread from destroying the lives of other countless families his plan will affect around the world!"

Max looked at her for a moment and then lunged, grabbing her wrists. He looked her in the eyes. "Shock me if you want, but remember John Dread wants me alive, and if I'm dead--it's your ass he'll fry! All I want is to know is where his hidden base is. Where is he?"

She looked at him with the eyes of an innocence girl and without warning she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Max was shocked, but her lips felt warm and he embraced her kiss briefly before he pulled away. He touched his mouth; his lips moist with her saliva. "Why?" he said.

"I've always been attracted to strong men," she said. "That's why I fell in love with Tempest, and he's agreed to break my brother out of prison when John Dread's plan goes into effect. He will be the first to be rescued by your unjust penal system."

"Typical response from a master criminal, saying the penal system in unjust," Max said. "There are people who belong in there."

"Yes, but my brother isn't one of them," she said, and gave him a little electrical jolt just because. Max jerked from the shock and released her. "My brother is a sweet man who's grossly misunderstood."

"The misunderstood plea, now there's a cliché. So, is that your reason for getting involved with John Dread, to break your brother out of prison? Sorry sweetheart, but it aint gonna happen, not if I have anything to say about it."

She sent him a jolt, then said. "Don't call me sweetheart."

Max's muscles tightened up as she delivered the jolt.

"We can play this game all day if need be, I have no where to be," she said. "But I don't think your nanoprobes can take much more punishment. You're starting to perspire which means your body is starting to weaken from my shocks."

"Don't be concerned with me, I can take whatever you dish out," he said. "I've taken much more punishment from people a lot more dexterous and sadistic than you ." She squeezed her hands together into fists and he thought she was going to shock him again, but she didn't. He looked at her face for a moment and noticed a tear streaming down her cheek and was confused. "Why are you crying?" he asked her.

Max wiped the tear from her cheek with a finger. "I know you Annabelle, we used to play together when we were younger. I know you want more to life than what you've been dealt. Tell me what Dread is up to so I can stop him."

"He plans to clone you and your colleagues for some sort of army," she said. "Apparently he believes he can cultivate the ultimate soldier with the brains and brawl to quake the world. Then he plans on duplicating the process to make thousands more, hundreds of thousands, so he has an army of super soldiers at his command." She paused for a moment. "Now you know how valuable you and your friends are to him."

Max was thoughtful for a moment, taking in the scope of what she had said. "I must stop him," he said. "Tell me where his secret base is. I also need a clear communication line to N-Tek."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, and besides it's too late," she said, and went to a panel on the wall where she pressed a button and opened the door to her quarters. Four Dread foot soldiers stormed inside surrounding him, they held electro pain sticks.

"You're making a big mistake," he said to her.

One of the foot soldiers got a little over anxious and stung him in the ribs with a pain stick and Max collapsed to one knee in pain holding the area.

"Now that was a big mistake," he said, looking at the man.

"Don't fight them," Electrix said. "Those electro pain sticks can cook a man from the inside out. The demonstration tapes weren't a pretty picture."

Max got to his feet with a hand on the area where he was stung. "What now?" he said.

"I'm handing you over to Dread," she said. Max's wrists were handcuffed behind his back with thick metal shackles. "In your weakened state I doubt you're offer much resistance and those are of the same material Vitriol used to hold you at the Sykes home. They're unbreakable." She looked at one of the troops. "Take him to the brig. I'll inform Dread we have Max Steel. Guard him carefully. Even in his subtle state he's still very dangerous."

Max Steel gave one last thoughtful look at Electrix before he was escorted out of her room. He was taken to the submarine's brig one level down, they had to take an elevator. One foot soldier pushed him inside a dark, dang cell with dim lighting. Max lost his balance and fell to the floor. "Aren't you going to unlock these?" he said.

"That won't be necessary," a familiar voice the said, and Tempest Storm came through the four foot soldiers and stood at the cell door. "That'll be all, gentlemen. I wish to be alone with the prisoner at this time."

"But Electrix said he must be guarded carefully," one of them expressed.

"And he will be, but from out in the corridor," Tempest said. "Go!" he shouted.

The foot soldiers understood and stood in the corridor outside the brig area.

Tempest Storm stood looking at Max Steel. Then he cracked his knuckles and said, "Time to finish what we started on the island, Steel. And this time it's my turn."

He stepped into the cell and began to beat on Max, delivering blow after blow after blow with his fists to his already battered and bruised body. And with his hands handcuffed behind his back, Max was helpless against Tempest's vicious attacks.

_**--to be continued...**_


	19. Secret's Revealed: Psycho & Nanoprobes

_**Note: Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes and sounded like I wouldn't finish the story if I didn't get reviews. If you like the story continue reading, there's more to come. Besides, how can I publish the sequel without finishing the story that inspired it?**_

_**MAX STEEL: STORM FURY PART 19**_

His naked back felt cold, and when he tried to move his arms and legs he couldn't budge them. They felt like they were restrained by metal clamps. But he didn't know for sure because he was in complete darkness. The last thing he remembered was getting the beating of his life from Tempest in the brig of Dread's submarine. But it was obvious he was not on the sub any longer, he couldn't feel the tech/bulk-head plate vibrations that a vessel like that created.

He didn't know where he was, and he couldn't be sure how long he was unconscious. His whole body hurt, but his nanoprobes were making the appropriate repairs to his body; but they seemed to be taking their sweet time. His ribs hurt like hell, they were probably broken; and if he could see them they'd probably he severely bruised. His face also felt sore and was probably black and blue.

He had never been beaten to unconscious like that before, but there was always a first time for everything. Tempest had fun, too much fun actually, and too bad the fun was only one-sided. But once he got free and foiled John Dread's plans, he'll have a little fun of his own.

Maybe, if he ever got free that is. He didn't know what John Dread had planned for him or where he was, so perhaps the idea of trashing Dread's scheme for world domination was a bit premature. He had to rescue his friends and Tommy Sykes and his father first. Well, actually, he had to free himself before he did any of that.

He knew John Dread's plan: to clone an army of super soldiers from his DNA, but what could he do about it? John Dread had connections and access to practically any technology he could get his criminally insane hands on. He might be able to do it, though his methodology did sound futuristic and a little far-fetched. It sounded like something that belonged in science-fiction. His nanoprobes were in the same vote, but they were an icon of science-fact. So, maybe Dread did have the means to do exactly what he had planned. He had to stop him somehow; yeah, somehow.

A bright light temporarily blinded him, and his pupils stung from the sudden pain they caused them. He would normally rub them, but as his arms were clamped down to what felt like a metal table, he to blink to align his vision and focus properly.

It was then that he saw a surprising sight considering the circumstances. "John Dread," he said, "funny meeting you here."

Max lay on an upright medical table with his wrists, thighs and ankles restrained with metal clamps, and John Dread stood in front, facing him. "Delightful wit as usual, Mr. Steel, I would hardly expect anything less from you," John Dread said. "But again, you were never one to recongise the seriousness in anything."

"I'm taking your scheme for world domination pretty seriously, Dread," Max said. "But be realistic, you know it'll never work. Cloning an army of super soldiers and sending them out into the world as your enforcers to takeover the world is a pretty far-fetched plan. It'll never fly."

John Dread cocked his head slightly to the left and smiled amused. "And where did you hear such a ridiculous idea like that?" he asked him.

"Electrix told me, she told me everything," Max said confused. "You mean you aren't going to create an army of cloned super soldiers?"

"Parish the thought, Mr. Steel. I believe Annabelle has been feeding you mistruths, or having some fun at your expense," John Dread said. He stepped aside and revealed two cryostatis chambers on the other side of his lab. "You give me too much credit. You're a smart kid, but you could never see the whole picture. I wouldn't go through all the trouble of kidnapping Dr. Martinez and Ms. Ryan if I was planning to clone super soldiers. That would be too easy and I wouldn't need you do complete it. I have a much more ingenious idea in mind."

Max saw his friends in tall, thin, cylinder, cryostatis chambers, surrounded by Infinity Ice, only their faces were showing, and he went ballistic; his emotions ran wild. They looked dead. He pulled at his restrains in a desperate plea to escape, but his efforts were futile.

"You murdering bastard! What have you done to them?"

"Calm down, Mr. Steel," John Dread said. "They're perfectly safe, and very much alive. I've placed them in cryo-statis, hyperbolic sleep. They're unaware of what is going on. To them, the world—even time—has stopped. The readouts on the bottom of each chamber indicate their vital signs and as you can see everything is green across the board."

"Let them go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, not quite yet," he said. John Dread went over to the chambers and he brushed a hand across the glass gently, feeling the coldness from each. "You see, they are very much a vital component to my experiment as you are. But you are the final piece. Your DNA in culmination with theirs will cultivate the ultimate in bio-tech soldier, unlike Psycho. He was my first success with this technology, but as you see there were a few minor abnormalities and I had to replace portions of his body with cybernetic components. I say he turned out quite remarkable regardless of those problems, wouldn't you say?"

"So, Dr. Frankenstein finally admits to his monster. I say he takes after his creator. You're both insane!"

"I admit, there were some behavioral modifications I made to his personality during his conception to make him the way he is and I do regret eliminating some inhibitor nodes from his brain, but he is controllable. Little did I know he would turn out as mentally unstable as he turned out to be. But this time things will be different. After all, he was cultivated from your DNA, and you turned out normal. So as long as I leave the behavior sequencers alone, this one should be perfect."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Psycho is your brother," John Dread said blunt.

Max was agape.

Dread grinned. "I'm surprised you were left in the dark about that. I was under the impression that Jefferson Smith informed you. Yet again, he must have felt it better if it were kept from you because perhaps it was best you didn't know. Besides, how would you feel if you were sent on a mission to kill your own brother?" Dread pressed a button on a computer console next to the chambers. "Psycho, would you please come in here please."

Psycho was waiting outside the lab and entered through a door next to the chambers as requested.

Dread continued. "You see, due to a genetic default in my genetic make-up, I learned I can't have children. I always wanted a son so I used your DNA a hair sample I stole sample from N-Tek's classified files to clone one and accelerated his growth. But I miscalculated some of the genetic sequence codes and the clone developed some rather grotesque abnormalities. But instead of destroying him I decided to simply replace the damaged parts."

"You sick, twisted, perverted man," Max said.

"You have all people should praise me for my accomplishments, for if it wasn't for the collective talents of myself and others at N-Tek, you would not be alive today. Dr. Martinez may have urbanized the nanoprobes that now swim inside your body, but I wrote the mock prototype of their design and created Trans-phasic technology as their catalyst. They are a marvel of engineering and of human ingenuity. My ingenuity. However I could never sustain them in a controlled environment for longer than three seconds. When Jefferson Smith got whim of what I was secretly developing I was fired as administrator of N-Tek and he was promoted to my position. A clever way to climb the latter. He later authorized my project be reinitiated. It wasn't until Dr. Martinez took up my research years later and continued my research was my dream finally realized."

"So, if you really created the N-Tek probes, what were you going to use them for?"

"I'm glad you asked that," Dread said. "N-Tek was developing nanoprobes for medical purposes to help cure cancer patients by injecting them into the sick to destroy the cancer cells. But I had a much broader use for them. I wanted to use them to help battle terrorism. By injecting nanoprobes into a person and using them for interrogation, we could help prevent terrorist acts before they happened."

"How noble of you, Dread," Max said sarcastically.

"Quite," Dread said. "It wasn't until later I realized my reason for developing them was flawed. Why develop such a sophisticated technology and waste them in such a minor role? So after I was fired from N-Tek and fled the country before they could prosecute me for developing a potential bio-weapon, I started to build an organization to oversea my vision of the future for the world. The concept of world domination is so cliché, but the idea of order in a chaotic world was very appealing and with the nanoprobes it could become a reality. So I planted a sleeper in N-Tek to advise me of all operations and special projects and he's been there ever since and he advised of the nanoprobes."

"You mean Jean wasn't the only double agent?"

"Jean didn't become a part of my organization until afterwards. Even Dr. Clemo was secretly helping me with the project back then, as he is now."

"You had everyone in your back pocket, didn't you? Who's the sleeper?"

Dread smirked. "That is privileged information," he said. "His identity is a closely guarded secret and it shall remain such."

Dread continued. "Back to the story," he said. "The story continues when I sent Psycho to steal a sample of Dr. Martinez's nanoprobes. He accidentally blasted the stasis chamber in which the nanoprobes were kept and they were integrated into your body. You were on your death bed until I learned of your condition through the sleeper. I made a phone call to Jefferson Smith and told him how to integrate Trans-phasic energy with the nanoprobes as both worked in a symbiotic relationship with the other. He was hesitate, but he agreed to try it. It was the only way you'd survive and a daily dose of "T" Juice would continuously replenish any energy the nanoprobes expended during their daily routine in keeping you healthy."

"So everything falls back to you," Max said. "Did you kill my father too?"

"Such a ridiculous question," Dread said. "No, he was killed on a mission. I had nothing to do with your father's death."

BioConstrictor exited from a walk-in freezer with a mask over his reptilian face and he was holding a rather large looking syringe with an even scarier needle. He approached John Dread, and as he did so the medical table Max was secured to, slowly began to tilt backwards until it settled vertical. BioConstrictor stood at Max's right side.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Max asked.

"Extract some of your DNA, naturally," John Dread said, and nodded to his accomplice.

Without hesitation BioConstrictor slowly plunged the needle into Max's stomach. Max gritted his teeth in pain and with held a scream.

"Forgive the lack of antithetic, but we can't afford to damage the cells of your DNA in any way. The lining of the stomach is the most viable place to obtain unaltered cells. Don't fret--it will only sting for a moment."

But Dread lied, it was agony. It felt like being shot in the stomach, and if you asked anyone who had been shot there, it was the worse pain imaginable.

BioConstrictor slowly extracted Max's DNA into the clear syringe, and when he was finished he removed the needle from his stomach. He then examined the contents and nodded to John Dread indicating he got what he needed.

"Excellent," John Dread remarked. "Doctor, you know what to do."

BioConstrictor nodded, and then left the lab with the syringe.

"You have what you needed, now let my friends go," Max said.

"I don't have everything yet," John Dread said, and Psycho went to Max's right side.

"There is still one more thing I need, something essential for my plan to come to complete fruition." Psycho had a small, rectangular device in his head with four metal prongs and he inserted it in the right side of Max's temple. Max screamed as he felt its insertion. The lights on the device blinked for a few moments and then stopped. Psycho removed it and gave it to Dread. "Thank you, Mr. Steel. That's all I need."

"What did you do?" Max asked, still reeling from the pain it had caused him.

"I copied your brainwave patterns, without them my cloned soldier would be nothing but an empty shell," he said. "I would have preferred someone with a slightly higher IQ, but yours will sufficient." He turned to Psycho. "Provide Mr. Steel with comfortable accommodations until such time he is needed again."

John Dread then left them and exited the lab with the device in hand.

Psycho turned to Max, and placed his metal claw around his throat. "Helpless, infant-like; it would be so easy to crush you windpipe right now, but I'll let you reel in the fact of our blood relation. I believe the realization of that fact will be torture enough." He chuckled.

"Dread's lying, we could never be related," Max said.

"Play your delusions, but the same blood runs through our veins."

"No, I don't believe it! It can't be! I won't believe it!"

Psycho chuckled wickedly.

He then raised his other hand and sprayed a paralyzing nerve gas into Max's face from a small bottle, and all of sudden, Max couldn't feel any part of his body, and nor could he speak. He felt numb all over.

Psycho released the clamps to the medical table and picked up Max and draped him over his shoulder. Then he carried him into an elevator and down several levels of Dread's underground complex in Arizona. He took him down a lengthy hallway and threw him into a jail cell carved out of stone. He activated a control panel on the wall and erected energy bars to keep Max Steel secure inside, not like he was going anywhere.

"At least you're not alone, Maxy," Psycho said. "You have young Tommy to keep you company." Tommy was huddled in the darkest corner he could find in the cell. Psycho laughed and then left, leaving a single foot soldier to guard the hallway to the cell.

When Psycho was gone, Tommy ventured out of the corner and went to Max. "I'm sorry, Mr. Steel, it's all my fault. If I wasn't so reckless and allowed myself to be captured by that lunatic you wouldn't be in this situation."

Max tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't move. He could only make odd noises, but sighed when he couldn't even tell Tommy it wasn't his fault.

If it was anyone's fault, it was his--Max's--and now that he knew the secret behind Psycho and who really developed the nanoprobes, things would never been the same.

_**--to be continued…**_


	20. Playing The Game

_**MAX STEEL NOVEL: STORM FURY - CHAPTER 20**_

_**"PLAYING THE GAME"**_

Max Steel - or rather Josh McGrath - was never one to feel self-pity, but as he sat in the jail cell deep beneath Dread's secret lair, half paralyzed from the numbing agent Psycho had injected him with, he couldn't help experience a little doubt about the world he _thought_he knew.

Psycho was his twin brother? That deranged psychopath was his flesh and blood?

He couldn't believe it!

And wouldn't believe it until a blood test was done.

The thought of Dread's revelation was unnerving. Had Max's parents had twins and Jefferson didn't tell him? Why? To protect him?

Then it occurred to him. And he mentally shook his head. Look where the information was coming from? John Dread would use anything in his arsenal to attack him, even _psychological warfare_. Kat had accused him of being a little too gullible sometimes, but this was not one of them. Not after all the crap Dread had pulled over the years…

But if it were true, why in heavens name would Psycho go along with it? He had nothing to gain by such a ridiculous ploy. And why not inject him with a lethal dose of something, instead of just paralytic agent? Which Max was gladthat Psycho didn't.

So there was only one reason for it - to screw with him. Y_es, psychological warfare. _A new ploy on Dread's part, and for a time, it had worked, but in the time he had spent _thinking_, he came to the realize the truth. He'd ask Jefferson about it when he got back - if he got back - home, but for now, he put it on the back burner.

John Dread the straight man with "laughing boy".

_I'm not amused_, he thought.

It had been over an hour since he had been placed in this cell and most of his body was still paralyzed; he couldn't feel anything below his neck. But at least he could talk now, whereas groins were his sound of choice to assure Tommy thinks were going to be okay, he hoped. It was not a nice _feeling_being a quadriplegic especially since he was all American extreme sports enthusiast, and needed his body to move...and work…and live!

"Mr. Steel?" Tommy spoke, kneeing at Max's right side.

Max moved his head slightly to the right, that was pretty much all he could do right now. Psycho had used some pretty industrial stuff to zap his body out of commission and he had no idea when it would wear off.

The boy looked at him sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Mr. Steel. It's all my fault."

Tommy had been apologizing to him for the last hour, but Max knew it had not been the boy's fault. It had all been a well-orchestrated plot by Dread to lure Max to the Sykes home, then capture him. And also Tommy. It angered Max that Dread had involved Tommy in their personal fight, he was an innocent by-stander. But that was the case in many conflicts these days, innocent by-standers got hurt, and all because Tommy's father was a valuable scientist Dread needed to aid his sinister plight, whatever that was.

At least now Max could answer the kid, getting his voice back. "Not your fault, kid. Stop beating yourself up. And call me Max." Max groined. Even with his body numbed, his brain was still receiving pain from the nerve receptors where he had been roughed up. "Now Tommy, I need some help...see my wrist band?" Tommy nodded. "It's important. I need you to press the black second button on the bottom panel."

Tommy cocked his head curiously. "Why?"

"It'll give me a turbo boost, reboot my nanoprobes, and work on creating an antidote for this paralyzing agent Smiley gave me."

"Nano...what? And who? Oh, that big, smiling freak! I hate him!"

"I hate him too, kid. If I had my way, I'd rip that smile right off his face and throw it in a crusher."

"I'd like to see that." Tommy smiled. He pointed to the button Max had indicated. Max nodded softly. And the boy pressed it.

Max's body illuminated with a bluish, green aura, and his chest heaved and his back arched. He gasped as the T-Juirce fueled his system with a rush of rebooted, re-energized nanoprobes from the trigger. The nanoprobes quickly worked to generate an antidote for the numbing agent, quickly eliminating its effects.

It didn't take long.

Max slowly got to his feet and stretched. The muscles in his body felt lethargic, even only after an hour, they felt like that hadn't been used in weeks. But he had also been clamped down to that medical table for the longest time, and his naked back felt the frigid cold of it. It was nice of them to return his cloths back to him. It would be embarrassing if they stuck him in this cell completely nude.

The one thing that hurt the most was his stomach where Dread had extracted some of his DNA. It was said the stomach muscle was the worse area to have an injury. Not only was it one of the most sensitive parts of the body, but it took the longest to heal. But he knew the nanoprobes would get to work on it.

He limbered up, doing a few quick exercises. But he knew his nanoprobes would do the rest along the way.

"Hey, thanks kid. I owe you one."

"Rescue my Dad and we'll call it even."

Max smiled. "Sure. Now, let's get outta here, shall we?"

Tommy nodded.

Max examined the energy bars of the cell. Eight evenly placed bars, generated by electromagnetic energy by a central hub and a junction panel, adjacent to a sleeping foot soldier, snoring away outside. The air filter of his helmet/mask breathing apparatus reverberated like Darth Vader.

"Guess guard duty is too boring," Max remarked.

"Or he doesn't get enough sleep?"

"Could be."

"Shall we wake sleeping beauty?"

The boy agreed.

But before Max could implement a plan, Tommy said, "I may have an idea. But it's, um, kind of gross." Tommy explained it. Max quietly chuckled. Only a ten year old would think of something like that. But some times it _did_take a child's mind to think of something simple like that, which again, Kat often accused him of having a child like mind on occasion. He just called it the "Me-Factor".

"Sorry Tommy, while it's fine in theory, you'll electrocute yourself, and you'll want to save _it_for any girlfriends when you grow up." He shook his head in amusement. "However, while water does short out electricity on the basic level, this is electromagnetic energy; it's a whole different ball game."

Tommy nodded slowly, unsure. But Max didn't have time to explain the differences between the two. Instead, he looked around the perfectly square cell that was surrounded in steel, wondering what he could use to short out the energy to the bars.

Then he smiled. _Perfect,_ he thought, looking at the _steel_plates on the wall probably used to reinforce the prison cell. But he'd have to work fast. As soon as he started, the alarms will blare.

He told Tommy to stand back. Max activated a laser cutter within his bio-link wrist band and cut a square of steel the size of his head, then ripped it off the wall with awesome strength. Tossing it like a frisbee at the EM bars, the steel's reflective properties bounced back the signal and shorted out the circuit. Max had also threw it pretty hard that after it went through, it jammed itself into the junction bar, causing an explosion, which could have also caused a power loss. But either way worked for him.

But like he surmised, the alarms began to blare.

The guard jerked awake, but Max laid him out cold with a right-cross to the jaw, cracking the man's helmet in the process. The man dropped like a stone.

Tommy gasped in amazement. "Didn't that hurt?"

Max shook his head, and explained briefly about his "inner strength" in terms the boy would understand, and how it helped him fight bad guys.

Tommy's jaw dropped. "That's totally awesome, Max!"

"Keep it a secret, okay? It's actually top-secret information."

Tommy zipped his lips, then made the hand sign of the Boy Scouts - two fingers. "Scouts honor!"

"You're in the Boy Scouts? Very cool. I was in the Boy Scouts when I was young, then a volunteer Scout Master, but I had give it up because of the superhero thing."

They made their way to an elevator, but before Max could stop him, Tommy pressed a floor button. He probably pressed it eager to leave the detection level.

The door slammed shut, triggered by a security circuit. Max noticed a keycard slot. An identity card most likely had to be used before pressing a button. When Tommy pressed the button without it, the door closed quickly.

Suddenly the face of Psycho appeared on a TV monitor in the elevator. His mechanical, forever-sinister grin beaming at the pair. "Hello Maxy. Not your day, is it? _Awwww_. Trapped again."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Steel," Tommy said, going back to calling him Mister.

Max didn't correct the boy. "It would appear so," he said to the screen. "So, do we just wait for one of Dread's foot soldiers to come get us and throw us back in the cell or shall I chose an alternative solution?"

"Like using T-Juice to rip the roof off and then climb up the elevator shaft's cord to another level? Sorry, Maxy. The elevator is magnetised. If you attempt any kind of escape, you'll be electrocuted, and I doubt you want a repeat of the power Tempest let you taste firing your nanoprobes."

Max frowned, but he was not disheartened. "Trying never hurt."

"Only if you want to go plummeting to your deaths."

Max relented. "Fine. What's Dread have planned for us, _brother_?"

Psycho laughed. "Dread never had you on that, did he? Of course we're not brothers. What a ridiculous notion!"

Max narrowed his eyes and withheld a smile. Psycho was never one to keep a secret, like all "super criminals", he had a big mouth. But Max knew there was more. There was just something in Psycho's voice that hinted on another secret. Perhaps he could be coaxed to tell? "Yet we _are_related in some fashion, right?" Fishing for information.

"Mmm. Every family has its secrets," Psycho chuckled.

"Mr. Steel, you two are related?" Tommy asked.

"Could be, but apparently someone's holding out on the whole truth." Max gazed at the screen. Normally he could figure someone out by looking into their eyes - the truth lay in the eyes, as they say - but Psycho had photo-receptors for eyes, so there was nothing there to see.

"Let's play a game, Maxy. If you and the brat survive, I'll tell you everything you want to know about "the truth"."

"No dice, Psycho. I don't trust you. And besides, I think you and Dread are lying. There is no way we are related, even with spliced or cloned DNA in your genes from me."

Psycho chuckled. "Actually, Steel. You'd be surprised. And as for the game, you don't have a choice. I'll be waiting for you at the end…that's _if _you survive the stages."

"Stages?"

Without warning, the floor of the elevator fell from beneath them, and the pair plummeted into total darkness.

* * *

The fall down the elevator shaft had caught Max off guard. He had been trained to expect the unexpected, but this was the one time he'd forgot about that axiom, and it cost him.

He didn't know how long it had been when he regained consciousness, but he knew it hadn't been that long. It didn't feel it. But whatever knocked him out, whatever he had hit when he fell, did a nasty job of it.

He felt a bump on the upper right side of his forehead and when he took his hand away, saw blood; a stream tickled down his cheek from the wound. And it smart.

Kat would never let him live this down if she found out, and that's if he ever found her and Berto, somewhere in Dread's Amazon lair trapped in Infinity Ice.

It made him so angry that he couldn't prevent this from happening to them, but he refused to let it beat him up. He still had a chance. If he could win Psycho's game, he'd rescue his friends. Then make Slimey and Dread pay for all their suffering, including the death of a good N-Tek agent!

It was very dark here. He moved his hand in this poorly illuminated environment and felt something hard, like a stalagmite or something of that nature, jetting up from the floor, which was probably the source of his injury. Then he found another, and yet another, and all by touch. There was something built or grown in this room with him, and he fretted what it may be. Then he heard what sounded like wet mud sloshing under his boots.

His eyes adjusted to the dark when he instinctively turned on his infra-red vision. Yet another "advantage" of the nanoprobes that inhabited his body. They were able to enhance all his senses to engage in almost every environment.

He began to sweat, the temperature in here was sweltering. He looked at his bio-link communicator and read the temperature - 95.0 F, like Africa or the Amazon Basin, both places he had visited. His battle jumpsuit clung to his body with the warmth and moisture.

Then he remembered he and the Sykes boy had fallen together.

"Tommy?" Where was the boy?

"Mr. Steeeeeeeel!" Tommy's voice sounded back, echoing through the cavernous chamber filled with both stalagmites and stalactites, jetting from ceiling and floor like teeth of a giant snake.

Max looked around, and found the boy with his arms spread full to his sides and legs straightened like an angelic star, embedded half in the rock wall. It was pitch black for Tommy, but Max could see him clearly, albeit in a red hue.

"Don't worry, Tommy! Stay calm! I'm coming to get you!"

Something hissed in the distance and Max sharply looked around, but didn't immediately see anything. But the sound of hissing was unmistakable and he knew who was in "Stage One" of this game.

Something brushed against his boot and it slithered around his feet, in this snakes den.

"Clemo!" Or as Berto had penned him because of his new matrix of being: Bio-Constrictor. "Let the boy go! It's me you have a beef with!"

"I have a "beef" wittth the entire world, Missster Sssteel," a slithery voice hissed, reverberating throughout the chamber. "The world isss in ssserious trouble. And you and N-Tek are in my way to sssave it!"

"Have you joined Dread and the rest of his cronies in some sort of world domination plot?"

Snakes hissed angrily and slithered all around Max; he could also see the walls catering to them, close to Tommy. But what the boy didn't see was best. Max stood firm despite _his_not liking of snakes.

"I am insssulted," Bio-Constrictor hissed. "But in truttth, John Dread and I have come to an underssstanding and my ssservicccesss have not come for free."

"So what did he promise you? Free flies for life?"

A long, angry hiss filled the chambers. Apparently, Max's little joke didn't go over well. Well, Clemo was never one to crack a smile at any joke, even back when he was human. He was too involved with his experiments to look out at the world.

"Alwaysss the jokesss wittth you."

"It helps lighten the tension," Max retorted. "Now, what do you want? And show yourself! I hate talking to the invisible man!"

"Invisible man, indeed..."

"Yes, the invisible man - hiding within this dark cavernous chamber - your voice hissing everywhere in an attempt to intimidate me and frighten me. Won't work!"

As if to acquiesce to his request and in a show of godliness, the snakes that were slithering around him, were brought together in a collective call and merged into...Bio-Constrictor's bipedal, human-esque form, covered in a synthetic flesh covering, made of snake skin and other serpentine nature. His hair whisked with snake tails and his eyes were as black as night. He hissed with a long, fork tongue, behind sharp fangs.

Clemo had once been a friend and a prominent scientist with N-Tek, but his ambition and scientific endeavors with serpents were controversial and were stopped, or so thought. But he continued them in secret. Max was sent to apprehend him, but Clemo accidentally fell into a vat of snake venom, and much like a certain megalomaniac comic villain clown, Bio-Constrictor was born.

Clemo had once been a friend, the kind of man who would play ball with an agent's kid - a long time ago - but he fell from grace, and became a deadly and unstable enemy to N-Tek and Max. His unauthorized experiments not only cost Clemo his body, but also his sanity. Now he was bent on bringing forth a serpentine world with his snake brethren in rule - a world of chaos, and of darkness, with venomous incarnate. As far as a snake was concerned.

Max had beat Clemo many times before. Most recently, trying to poison the water supply of a small town in Western New Hampshire, attempting to turn all its resident's into snake men, to control and manipulate. Thanks to Berto, an antidote was found before the entire town reverted to mindless beasts like zombies of a popular RPG game Max enjoyed to play.

Now Clemo had joined Dread in this new scheme, personal reasons notwithstanding, Max couldn't allow it.

"Like I said at our earlier encounter, doctor, you still have a choice. Let N-Tek scientists help you. Together with them and your brilliance, you can find a cure for your condition."

"Enough! I am a ssserpent now. Hear me hissssssssssss!"

Max nodded. It was hopeless to reason with an insane person. All logic was gone out of Clemo now. "Very well, doctor. Then allow me to retort. I am Max Steel. And I'm gonna kick...your..."

But even before Max could finish what he was saying, Bio-Constrictor attacked with his weapon of choice: snakes, taking them from his body in ample supply. He began to throw them at Max like heat-seeking missiles, their fangs opened wide with sharp teeth.

Max dodged one snake, then another, and another...until he saw no end to them, and backed away, while still protecting Tommy. If a snake got too close, he'd kick it away. One bit his right boot, but the snake only managed to get a mouth of steel tip and then a swift kick in the jaw, as Max sent it flying afar.

Plunking one out of the air as it lunged at him, he swung it around by its tail like a bat to knock other snakes away, then released it, sending it flying into a dark corner of the cavernous room. Only by mistake did he step on a snake's head, crushing it underfoot. The snake's brain oozed out from the sides of Max's boot. He felt a moment of remorse, but as for regret - it was either it or him.

Other snakes lunged onto their dead brethren, about five, as Max backed Tommy off, and surprisingly, they devoured its bloodied carcus in a collective frenzy, ripping it to pieces and feeding off its inners; the snakes swallowing every bit.

"Ewwwwww!" Tommy said in disgust.

Max's sentiments exactly. It was strange. He never knew snakes fed off each other. It was only then when he looked at Bio-Contrictor with his arms outstretched did he understand the collective consciousness of these snakes was being controlled by a single mind.

Clemo was more powerful than they'd last fought. Now he was using telepathy and his deep serpentine connection with snakes to enact his grandiose will. He could something similar in the past, but nothing to this extent. This was bad! If he could control these snakes with such precision, could be heighten their viciousness as well?

It was then he heard a collective...burp? After the snakes had finished, there was a momentary pause where the snakes remained still. And it was then the unthinkable happened - the snakes split in two by mytoes, So where there were once five snakes, now there were ten!

The Hydra of ancient Greek mythos, Max recalled. Cut the head off one snake and two grow back. So long as their master controlled them, every snake here was immortal, living and breathing by Bio-Constrictor's masterful mind.

Max needed to attack the body, not the limbs, and to do that he needed to get past all these snakes without killing them or they'll be a lot more. But he had no weapons. What would incapacite Clemo here?

His T-Juice level was just under optimum, using more to run around these snakes to drive them into a frenzy would serve no purpose, and who knew what other surprises or villains he'd face after? And then there was Tommy to think about.

Which meant probably doing things the hard way...

**To be continued…**


	21. Stage Two

**CHAPTER 21 - "STAGE TWO"**

"That coward!" Psycho growled. He slammed a fist on a control panels in a surveillance room he and John Dread were within, viewing "the game" Psycho had devised to keep Max Steel busy so Dread could complete his plans. "Never send a snake to do a man's job!"

"Calm yourself, my friend," Dread said calmly. Psycho had been sitting in a chair and it was quickly sent flying to the other end of the room into some TV monitors causing them to explode.

Dread smiled to himself, for some reason he found it amusing when Psycho lost his temper. It meant his short-fuse of a temper caused him to become more susceptible to fault and suggestion. And much like his mechanical parts, they could not block his humanity.

"Dr. Clemo is not a fighter," he further said. "As you said to me earlier when this game of tier villains was designed, it is all mindless fun."

Psycho grumbled. "I hope your plan is near to completion..." he said. "I am getting impatient in Max Steel still living. Tempest destroyed N-Tek headquarters with a missile strike - "

"Correction," Dread said. "The missile strike did considerable damage to N-Tek headquarters, however my spies report Jefferson Smith survived and the island's defensive systems prevented a total cataclysm."

Psycho slammed another fist, this time his steel one on the control panels, and the impact scrambled the CCTV transmission for a moment the two were viewing. Psycho had sent Steel with the boy to another tier through a hidden floor shaft and at present he was not visible, but within moments, Max's next opponent will continue the game. Psycho did not want to miss it.

"The DNA I took from Mr. Steel," Dread continued, "will go a long way to adding fruition to my master plan. And essentially, Mr. Steel was correct. His excellent DNA, along with the extracted nanoprobes, will be utilized towards cloning super-soldiers for debasement. And then the world will be my oyster."

Psycho snickered darkly. "Chaos and destruction. I like it!"

"No, my friend. Slightly more civil that sending a bunch of super-soldier clones out upon the world to usurp the world's governmental bodies. They will be _properly_ educated to infiltrate different levels of the political, social and economic streams in society. And once their hold is strong, and without even throwing a punch, per sa, the world will fall under _my_ jurisdiction and rule!"

Psycho sighed disappointed. "Where's the fun in that? That could take years."

"The fun, my colleague, is in the wait. Well, for me that is. To see the world fall while I watch it crumble from within, will be like a god watching his subjects run around blind. But for you, the fun will be in crushing N-Tek and Mr. Steel before this happens. We can't have him interfering now, can we?"

Psycho snickered.

The air in the room suddenly felt a thick with the introduction of a mild jolt of static electricity and Psycho could feel the small hairs on the back of his neck stand on end even before she entered the room, his metal appendages aching with electricity.

He sharply turned to the door, then Dread did, and the visitor entered the CCTV room. It was Electrix. Her thin frame, tight, black body suit, and black and white streaked hair, gave just cause to never underestimating her. She was as strong as her counterpart Tempest. And since the beginning of Dread's operation, had become romantically involved, like polar magnets.

Dread had said nothing, but Psycho took offense. He had no room for romance in his life. He was a cold-blooded killer, and so was she. But the only difference was, Electrix was a considerably beautiful woman, while he was a cybernetic freak. And while he had augmented himself purposely, Electrix's accident only added to her beauty, which was probably why Tempest - that muscle-bound, elemental brainaic - fell for her.

But she did take after her mentally unstable brother that N-Tek had locked away in a maximum security prison. He attempted to wield the power of nature by harnessing its raw elements to use in a narfarious way. Psycho didn't know all the details about her brother, and frankly he didn't care. Steel stopped him. Period.

And Steel had stopped Electrix on occasion as well.

"Everything is in readiness, Mr. Dread," she said. "And the aircraft carrier is fueling up as we speak. We will have the capsules containing Dr. Martinez and Kat Ryan loaded within the hour."

"Excellent. Efficient and beautiful."

"Thank you." Electrix's remained straight-faced. She turned and left.

Dread returned to Psycho. Psycho eyed him curiously. "Sad that she had to die." He chuckled. "She is a strikingly, beautiful woman, and if was any other man..."

Dread smirked.

"She as well her 'boyfriend' will have to be dealt with. They are a liability."

"Leave them to me," Psycho said. "And Clemo? And..."

"Eventually." Dread nodded. "No loose ends. But let them play with Steel for the time being while the aircraft is being prepped. There is a saying, 'heroes often fail'. As for Mr. Steel, it appears his time will come sooner than he thinks."

* * *

Max dropped down the dark, empty shaft to who-knows-where and could hear Tommy's cries and attempts to stop, but the shaft didn't have anything to clutch onto, so they plummeted together.

Max had defeated Clemo, but was this then a "secret" passageway to the next bad guy in Psycho's twisted little game?

He preferred RPG games, and he wasn't going to play Slimey's multi-tier villain game. And he knew better, - the villains _always_ got stronger!

He pressed a button his bio-link communicator and turbo-charged his nanoprobes, the shaft illuminated in a bluish-green bio-illuminance, then skidded himself to a stop with his boots pressing them to the sides of the shaft. There was a slight burning smell like burnt rubber after he stopped.

Tommy came crashing down upon his shoulders, but Max steadied himself and prevented a further decent. Tommy crouched down, his feet set on Max's shoulders, his back against the shaft. Max's nanoprobe's gave off some light to see.

"Mr. Steel, thank you!"

"Call me Max."

"Okay. So what do we do now, Max? Wherever we were going and don't get there, they'll come looking for us."

Tommy was right. But Max had no intention of waiting for one of Dread's rescue parties and quickly devised a plan of action.

* * *

Vitriol had been watching Max Steel and Dr. Clemo's battle via a small monitor in the wall. The fighting had been exciting, but in the end, the doctor was a coward, and slithered away into a hole in the wall when things got too rough.

Vitriol's specially designed environment was produced to make it appear like a secret laboratory with catwalks, metal tiers, and other equipment meant to explode. Just the way he liked it, especially with his arms filled with highly charged plasma.

But it was strange. As soon as Steel and the brat dropped into the shaft, the CCTV lost sight of them and it shouldn't have taken this long for them to pass from one environment tier to another. Unless Steel had prevented it?

Vitriol didn't put it past the N-Tek agent. Max Steel was very resourceful. And in a way, Vitriol admired him for his ability to weasel out of danger. But he hated that the young adventurer kept defeating him repeatedly; Steel always got in his way, spoiling every plan he concocted to make money.

He pressed a button under the monitor and Psycho's eternal, metal grin was plastered on it. "Where are they, tin man?"

"I told you never to call me that!"

"I grow impatient! They fell. Where are they?"

"Still in the shaft somewhere. Deal with it!"

Vitriol averted his gaze to the ceiling, to where the trap door was to open for Steel and the boy was to fall through. He lifted one arms aloft towards it setting the plasma in it to boil.

"Steel!" He shouted. His harsh voice reverberating through his hollow environment. "Come down here, you coward, and face me like a man!"

* * *

Max knew Vitriol's voice, and now he knew whom he'd be facing in stage two of Slimey's little villain-tier game. Vitriol with his plasma arms was much dangerous that Bio-Constrictor and was much _more_ violent. If he could, he'd want to avoid that insane, crazed maniac at any cost.

Max waited, hoping Vitriol might think that he was mistaken that they were harboring themselves in the shaft, but it was not to last, and a blast of green plasma energy rocked the latter end of the shaft, opening it up to Vitriol's environment. Max had to use all his strength to stablize himself and Tommy from falling down.

"Steel! I know you're in there! Come out!" Vitriol demanded.

Tommy was scared, but he touched Max's shoulder with a strange calmness. He was being brave despite the danger. "Max, don't! He'll kill you."

"I'm not," Max said. "He'll have to drag us out by the hairs of our chiny chin chins." Tommy eyed him strange. "Well, mine anyway." He had about two days worth of stubble on his face. Weird that Berto would program such a thing while in Max mode?

Another blast rocked the shaft, this time much closer. "Vitriol, hold your fire! I have a kid with me in here!"

"That Sykes brat?" Vitriol's voice rang familiar with the boy mentioned. "So, does this mean you two have teamed up?" The villain laughed.

"Shut-up, you ass-face!" Tommy shouted angrily.

Max was taken aback by Tommy's forwardness. He knew the boy was very scared and Max could see it, but obviously the boy wanted to hold up a strong front.

"I do not have an ass-face!" Vitriol shouted back.

Vitriol did have a strong jaw and a deep dimple in his chin that looked like...well, yes, Tommy was indeed right. He'd have to add that name to Vitriol's villain profile when he got back to N-Tek HQ, as a footnote.

"Cool it, Tommy," Max said. "You don't want to tick him off. He's a dangerous killer. Just hang back." He tilted towards the nearest blast hole that was big enough for his body to fit through. "I'm coming out! Hold your fire!"

"Be quick about it!"

Max jumped down out of the shaft onto a metal catwalk, brining Tommy down. "Stay here," he said, then climbed down a ladder to the ground. He took a quick glance around. "Nice place you've good here. Bit too tech for you though. I'd venture something more like a psychoward is better suited for you to play in."

"Real smart, Steel. Considering I can blast the kid from here." He raised an arm at the kid on the catwalk.

Max got serious. "Stop! It's me you want. Leave the boy outta this."

Vitriol focused on Max. "You're right. You are my main focus. Psycho wants to kill you himself, tells me this little game is just for a distraction until Dread finalizes his plans…"

"I seem to be the only one in the dark about Dread's plans," Max said.

"And that's the way he wants it."

Suddenly, a stream of water trickled down from the catwalk onto Vitriol. Max looked up and saw Tommy urinating over the edge. Urine completely saturated Vitriol and when the villain looked up, it splashed his face.

Bemusement plastered Max's face.

"I really did need to go, Max," the boy said.

Vitriol was enraged and went to blast the kid, but Max turbo'ed up using the distraction, and ran at Vitriol, threw himself at the man, and delivered a football linesman tackle, forcing his shot to vere away as they went crashing down to the ground. And with his super strength, tore one of Vitriol's arms out of its mechanical socket.

His teeth gritted, Vitriol rolled away, and with still one arm at the ready, sent a blast towards Max, nearly destroying a section of the catwalk stablization framework.

The catwalk Tommy stood on jolted and the boy swung over the side, hung onto the railing. "Max!"

"Tommy! Hang tough! Be there in a sec!" Max assured.

"I may be a one-arm man, Steel, but I can still kill you with it!" Vitriol vowed, and sent another blast of plasma towards Max, again weakening the catwalk framework, causing the catwalk Tommy hung too to jolt and jerk violently once more.

"Tommy!"

"Max! I don't know...how long..."

"That's it! No more of this game!" Max threatened. He took Vitriol's arm, held from the wrist, and whacked the super-villain in the side of the head with the metal shoulder joint.

When Vitriol attempted to recover after stumbling, Max hit him again, and twice more, until the villain had had enough, and lain on the ground in a battered heap. Vitriol moaned painfully.

Max tore out the other arm and threw both into a secluded corner.

Tommy suddenly dropped. But Max was there to catch him in both arms.

The boy caught his breath. "Thanks." He looked at the villain, when Max settled the boy on his feet. "You beat him!"

Max looked back at Vitriol. "I guess you can say I disarmed him."

Tommy laughed, at the irony of the villain having no arms left.

"You think you're so smart, eh Steel?" A new voiced entered the fray, and from an adjacent catwalk came Tempest, his muscles ripping with exciting at the prospect of once again facing Max. "Well, time to face a real super-villain!"

Max however didn't want to face Tempest again, remembering the last time he did he was almost killed. But he was never one to back down from a fight and if he didn't wage war against these conglomerate of villains, then the world will fall to their tyranny.

He held Tommy behind him. But from where he looked, the entire place was one large electricity conductor from the metal catwalks to the tiers to the walls, and Tempest was the giant lightning rod.

**To be continued…**


	22. Escape

**CHAPTER 22 - "ESCAPE"**

"Where's an 'Action man' around when you need one?" Max said sarcastically, referring to Tempest's arch rival Alex Mann, a stunt man and super agent in his own rite.

Tempest had a deep history with Alex Mann, this before Max supposed he decided to branch out into the hired thug gig with Dread. The man had accidentally been subjected to high-end energy particles during an experiment that went wrong. Tempest was a smart man; his field of expertise was elemental theoretical science. But in attempting to prove his theory that he could control the earth's elements for the betterment of mankind, an eager egomaniac reporter attempted to discredit Tempest and fowl his experiment, and it backfired on Tempest, turning him into the angry, sadistic, lightning rod he was now, standing before Max.

Revenge had been his first plight against this reporter, but Alex Mann had foiled Tempest's plans time again. So, eventually, Tempest just stopped, and decided to fade away from the limelight. Until now.

"You think you're so funny, eh, super hero?" Tempest said.

"It never hurts to have a second career," Max retorted humorously.

"And even that will be a bust when I get through with you. Those two - Clemo and Vitriol - are child's play compare to me."

"I always considered them children. They always threw such nasty temper-tantrums. Both are taking a time out."

Tempest shook his head. "It's said a man laughs in the face of danger. You appear to be mocking it."

"I never mock the serious stuff."

"Well, you better _be_ afraid. John Dread doesn't need you anymore. He has what he wants, so you're open season. Your DNA will grow an army of super-soldiers the likes the world have never seen!"

"So, it's the same old cliché - mass producing an army to take over the world using my DNA and nanoprobes. I feel so used. So I'll have like a million people who look just like me running around. Talk about a lack of individuality. But not gonna happen!"

"You're wrong, Steel. He doesn't want to make uber-yous in that sense, he plans on educating them and inserting them into the social, political, economical factions of the world to rule the world from within."

"So if Dread controls the governments, its people and their money - Woah! I have to give Dread credit this time. Nice plan. And thank you for sharing that. Now I know the how and the why. I always like villains with big mouths."

Tempest gritted his teeth, knowing he had been tricked to spill Dread's plans. Reaching behind his back, he removed two metallic, brass rods about two feet in length from two individual brown, leather satchel holders attached to a waist belt - probably designed to not only separate them if they accidentally clanged against one another but also to protect himself from also accidentally charring himself to ash, as Tempest could easily electrify them and set himself aflame - and crossed them. They generated a spark, which he used to launch an attack!

Max snatched Tommy and used his super speed to bolt away out of the electrical attack that sent a massive lightning strike towards him, electrifying a metal tier overhead. It exploded and came crashing down, showering the area in hot sparks.

"Slippery eel!" Tempest cursed.

Tempest crossed his rods and went to deliver yet another attack when a sudden laser beam from below the floor jerked the super-villain back, throwing his attack off - the electrical charge his rods were generating collectively dissipating into thin air. The laser beam had also nearly sliced Tempest in half from crotch to head as he stood on the catwalk.

He swore. "Who did that?" he demanded.

"I did," a familiar hard tone voice echoed the chamber as a lift rose out of a secret compartment in the floor, lifting Psycho to stand ground. His laser beam in his claw aimed at Tempest from below. "You forget your place, Tempest. Max Steel is mine to kill!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"Dread, your boss, hired me because he needed muscle. Apparently you couldn't cut it alone as his number one lackey. Steel's been a worthy adversary to me and to the strongest goes the kill."

"Dread's not my boss. He's an ally for now. And Steel has always been mine to kill!"

"They're fighting over who wants to kill you, Max?" Tommy asked quietly.

"I guess so - seeing who gets the honor of crushing my bones into paste." Max spoke up. "Hey, don't I get a say in this?"

"Shut-up!" the two villains said in unison.

Max mused. Like two massive ego's on the verge of explosion. He wondered who was Godzilla and who was Mega Moth here, like in those old Japanese movies, fighting through a city, destroying everything in their path. He hoped he wasn't here for that when it happened.

This gave Max an idea. He'd play to their egos, and just like those old movies, pit them against one another.

Time to have a little fun.

But surprisingly, Tommy spoke up first. "So, which one of them is stronger?"

Did the boy just read his mind? But he played to it. "Frankly Tommy, I don't know," Max said. "I've batted them both. They're equally strong, but against each other...hmm?"

"Easy - Me!" Tempest said.

"Nice try, Steel," Psycho said. "That trick won't work with me. Pitting us against each other? Was that your pathetic plan?"

Max raised his hands in innocence. "Hey! Wasn't me. But the kid does have a point."

"I wouldn't joke, kid," Vitriol said from a far wall, obviously awakened by the talking and fighting. He used momentum to roll up to a sitting position because he was armless. "Psycho is obviously stronger. I've seen him in action many times."

"See...validation," Psycho said cockily.

"I can harness the elements to my command," Tempest said, "to fry you like a chicken!"

"My arm can crush over a thousand pounds of pressure, disintegrating your bones into dust!" Psycho opened his metal arm into a gigantic claw.

"Your claw is no match for my lightning rods!"

"Your rods pale to my diamond cutting laser. I could've killed you back then...and I still can!"

Tempest jumped down off the catwalk to face Psycho. "You want to try me, cyborg? Cus half your body is conductive. I'll fry every ample circuit in your body including your human nerves."

"Your threats are meaningless to me and I've never back down from a fight!"

Max leaned close to Tommy. "I think it's time we made a quiet exit and let these two settle this. Nice going."

Tommy nodded and smiled.

As the two villains were distracted, arguing, despite Vitriol's pleas of "They're escaping!", Max and Tommy left through an access corridor and took an elevator up to the surface.

When the elevator door opened to an aircraft hanger bay, the rush of fresh but warm air from the Arizona desert blasted their faces. The large hanger bay door was open, exposing the hanger interior to the hot temperatures.

But they also emerged into a _busy_ aircraft hanger bay where two capsules filled with Max's friends trapped in Infinity Ice were being loaded onto a large, wide-body aircraft carrier. Two foot soldiers held either end of an electromagnetic repulsive lift, carrying each capsule up a ramp and inside the body of the craft. Monitoring this was Electrix, and at the moment, she was engaged in a conversion with the supply master, looking down at a computer pad, and no one had noticed them.

"Steel!" came a muffled cry from a pointing masked foot soldier.

Electrix looked up and her eyes widened with shock, surprise and anger. "Finish the loading!" she ordered the supply master. "The rest of you... _Kill'em_!"

And every available foot soldier grabbed their laser rifles and began to fire at Max. Max grabbed Tommy and whisked him quickly behind some standing wooden crates close by and they crouched down.

Max breathed out a sigh that they avoided the laser fire, but the crates were taking a pounding. Max attempted to peak around a corner, but he immediately jerked his head back when a shot shaved off part of the crate corner.

"What are you doing? Stop watching! Get those capsules into the aircraft _now_!" Electrix's voice sounded, obviously directed at those foot soldiers ordered to move the capsules, Max thought.

"Not gonna happen," Max said to himself.

"How are you going to stop them, Max?"

"I don't know. But stay here and keep down. I need to draw their fire elsewhere. These crates won't last long."

"Max!" Tommy pointed, looking away from the laser fire and towards another doorway close to the large open hanger bay door. Two foot soldiers held Dr. Ben Sykes by his arms and they looked like they were about to execute him, shoving him against a wall, their rifles at the ready. "They're going to kill my Dad! Save him, Max! Please!"

Max had a choice to make. Either save his friends or save Tommy's father. He weighted both decisions quickly and came to the more prudent option. Save the civilian. Even though Dread had kidnapped Sykes to help him develop a way to grow clones that would utilize Max's DNA and nano-probes, Sykes was a good guy. And he could never deny the plea from a crying boy.

He took one quick glance at the capsules that the foot soldiers were now obediently loading up the ramp of the aircraft and then let out a heavy sigh. "I'll save you guys later. Hang in there."

Max went turbo, his body blasted with T-Juice. With Tommy safely behind the crates, Max jumped to his feet and using his super-speed, with laser blasts from the attacking foot soldiers following him, he shouldered the two foot soldiers to the floor, grabbed Dr. Ben Sykes, and then quickly brought him back to the crates. Laser bolts following him every step of the way.

"Dad!"

"Tommy!"

Father and son hugged.

"Thank you, Max," Tommy said.

"Welcome. But we're not out of the woods yet. Save the family reunited until later. I'll distract Electrix and the foot soldiers while you two make an escape out of the hanger bay. If this place isn't shielded from radar, then N-Tek will find us very soon. I just hope my _own_ father survived the attack on N-Tek Island when Tempest attacked it."

"He did," Dr. Sykes said. "I overheard Dread grumbling about it. N-Tek took a lot of damage, but it survived, and so did Jefferson Smith, it's coordinator. Your adopted father." Max didn't say anything. "Don't worry, _Josh_, your secret is safe with me. Your father and I go back a long way."

Max smiled. "Thanks."

Dr. Sykes held out a hand and in it was a sonic grenade. "Will this help?"

Max smiled elated, taking it. "Where did you get that?"

"I took it off the belt of one those foot soldiers. I was going to use it to bargain for my life before you rescued me."

"This will definitely come in handy."

"Now, Tommy, shield your ears and eyes," his father said. "When it goes off, there will be a big flash of light and a loud boom!"

Tommy closed his eyes tight and clamped his hands over his ears. Sykes nodded to Max and did the same. And when Max pulled the pin and tossed it over the crates towards Electrix and the laser attacking foot soldiers, he crouched down and did the same.

The boom was muffled in Max's ears, but the reverberation from the boom in the hanger bay was definitely felt. He even saw a faction of light enter his closed eye-lids.

He opened his eyes moments later and unclamped his ears, then looked around the crates. There were screams of pain and what foot soldiers were not knocked unconscious by the sonic grenade, were sprawled on the floor holding their ears, even Electrix was folded over hard-pressed in pain.

"Steller! Okay, time to go! You two run as far away as possible. N-Tek should pin-point this place's location by your unexpected movement."

Sykes took Max's hand and shook it. "Thank you again, Mr. Steel, for saving me and my son."

"All in the line of duty, sir. And your son is a smart kid. I foresee great things for him in the future. But, keep that baseball dream alive, Tommy. As I always say - dreams are for living, not regretting. '_Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today._'

Sykes smiled. "Very prolific."

"Sometimes I even surprise myself." Max smiled. Even though he had had heard some famous man say it before, he just forgot who at the moment, it fit the situation. "Now go! Before they recover. I'll meet up with you later." He hoped.

Sykes nodded, then grabbed Tommy and started towards the hanger bay door, and outside, as Max watched Eletcrix and the others. But they didn't stop them.

Tommy shouted, "Good luck, Max!"

He gave the boy a thumbs up, and then got to work clearing the hanger bay of enemies.

**To be continued…**


	23. A Change of Plans

**CHAPTER 23 - "A CHANGE OF PLANS"**

Out of the corner of his eye, Max saw both Tommy and his father run for their lives out of the hanger bay and into the Arizona Desert. If everything went well, N-Tek would be tracking this area for any unexpected movements, that's _if_ the operation centre was again up and running on N-Tek Island? If not, they were on his own until he was finished here. And that was _if_ he could escape himself.

Electrix appeared to recover quicker than the others and sent a blast of electricity Max's way. He ducked and somersaulted to safety, but she must have been slightly disorientated because her shot blasted a gaping hole into the side of the wall that housed a communication / operations centre. Explosions happened, people ran, and a fire broke out, then the alarms to the complex began to flash and ring.

**SELF-DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE INTIATED,** the computer said. **TEN MINUTES AND COUNTING UNTIL REACTOR CORE DETONATES.** It then repeated the warning.

Max swore to himself. Of all the unlucky shots!

But Electrix didn't appear fazed by the warning. And why would she? She had the power to race out of the complex using her new powers to get well clear of the blast zone even with thirty seconds left.

She sent another blast of electricity towards Max and he jumped behind another stack of crates. Her blast blew a hole clear through the top one sending debris showering down upon Max. He dusted himself off, then found the foot soldiers had also recovered. They came at him with rifles in hand, and he punched one with a right-cross and delivered a round-house kick to the other, relinquished him of his rifle.

He took a moment to think about what he had in his hand. He hated guns, but in this business sometimes you had to get your hands dirty. He checked the power level, then flipped the setting to stun. Racing from his hiding space, he sent a volley of blaster fire at the foot soldiers, laying out nearly all of them. Electrix returned fire, but she was skilled at avoidance, ducking behind the aircraft carrier's large body.

All of sudden, the ground shook behind Max's feet. It felt like an earthquake. And before him, a massive sinkhole dropped through the centre of the floor in the hanger bay. He ran and jumped, just barely making it to safety as Psycho and Tempest erupted up into the air like a missile into the bay.

Psycho held onto Tempest as both super-villains coursed through the air using Tempest's flight abilities, struggling against the other's might.

Max watched as both villains then crashed to the floor, Psycho on top of Tempest when they landed. Psycho's massive metallic claw was clamped around Tempest's chest and one arm. Tempest was using his free hand in an attempt to electrify Psycho's metal face, but without his lightning rods, Tempest's power was severely hindered without his conductors.

Seeing this, Electrix assisted Tempest, sending a blast of electricity at Psycho. This in turn caused Psycho to jerk painfully releasing his hold on Tempest. Tempest got to his feet, but flavored his ribs. However, he went after Psycho taking full advantage of the distraction, delivering massive punches to Psycho's body and face. And for a moment, Max found himself mentally cheering for Tempest.

But Max knew punching Psycho would not hinder his strength, and finding a hold in Tempest's defense, the cyborg sent a string of laser fire into Tempest's right thigh immediately causing Tempest to pull back. Even a strong man like Tempest could not withstand that kind of sharp, stabbing pain.

"Tempest!" Electrix shouted. She went to blast Psycho with both hands squeezed. But Psycho turned and snatched Electrix with his massive claw before she could fire and slammed her against the wall hard, knocking her out. She dropped to the floor like a stone.

The self-destruction sequence sounded again, its warning would warn every minute until it reached zero. But Max wanted to be well away from this place before then.

"Electrix!" Tempest's voice was filled with concern.

Tempest attacked Psycho again, fueled by an unbridled rage when Electrix went down, and used his massive, muscular frame to bear hug Psycho, trapping both his arms to his side. Psycho growled in pain, but Psycho had a trick up his sleeve and a smaller claw built into his shoulder joint ejected itself and grabbed Tempest by the throat and began to squeeze.

Max was conflicted. He could take the aircraft with the capsules of his friends out of here and leave Dread's minions to perish, but on the other, that was not his style. He didn't run from danger. Regardless that these two had tried to kill him in the past, he couldn't just leave them to die.

"Psycho! Put him down!" Max demanded, pointing the rifle at him.

Psycho looked at Max. "Well, hello Maxy. Haven't fled yet? This isn't your fight!"

"It is now. Put Tempest down and step away _now_!"

"You don't have the balls to use that, Maxy."

Max fired off a shot at the wall, this time it wasn't on stun. "I won't tell you again!"

Psycho dropped Tempest and stepped away. Tempest rubbed his throat, no more inclined to fight. "You too, Tempest. I hate using guns, but I have no choice. This place is going to explode in less than eight minutes. You want to live or die here?"

Electrix appeared to moan. Tempest looked at her. "Live!" he said, his voice a little hoarse. He went to her, and Max knew right then that these two had developed more than a working relationship together.

"There's room for all of us on this aircraft. Unless one of you knows how to stop the self-destruct?"

Tempest shook his head, caring for Electrix, but Psycho merely crossed his arms across his chest. Of course Psycho wouldn't tell him. He was a psychopath. Psychopaths thrived on someone else's misfortune. They didn't care if they lived or died, and with Psycho's track record of continuously surviving death, he probably thought he could survive a nuclear explosion when the reactor blew.

But Max wasn't willing to take that bet.

"And what about me, Mr. Steel?"

Max turned his head to find John Dread pointing a gun at him. Of all the times for him to forget the big fish in all this. He frowned. "Seriously?"

"They say four is a bother and three is a crowd, but two is perfect company. Sorry, my friend, but you have out-lived your usefulness to me…" Dread was looking at Max but he seemed to be directing the words at someone else, and quickly fired at Tempest, hitting him in the upper chest.

Tempest folded over and clutched his chest in pain. Dread then returned to point the gun at Max.

"Why am I not surprised?" Max said with a sneer. "Tempest, Electrix, and Vitriol - you'll leave all of them to die here after they were loyal to you?"

"Sacrifices must be may to change the world and the less adversities the better. N-Tek will be dealt with in due time as well. But as for you, Mr. Steel, it's time we parted ways permanently."

"I don't hear my swan song yet, but tell me Dread, is it true you really plan to grow clones with my DNA to insert into the world's political, economic, and social streams of society? I was never the best learner and I'm only a B student in college. And my nano-probes don't help much in the way of memory enhancement. You megalomaniacs are all the same - world-wide domination."

"You perceive the facts incorrectly, Mr. Steel," Dread said. "I am not interested in world-wide domination. I will better the world, pushing it towards an enlightenment of mindful resolution by genetic selection. With your DNA, I will also usher it into a new era of imperialism where cultural diversity will no longer be the hinderance of countries destablization, but its economical growth."

Max had to think about it for a moment. "So, you want a world filled with clones ruled by you, to do your bidding, to cultivate the world and make money?"

"Apparently even with your college education you fail to see the beauty of my plan."

"No, I think I do see it. And this is not a movie, Dread. You can't just crown yourself Emperor and have an army of clones kill off anyone you see as a threat. So, would that make Slimey Darth Vader? What do you want Berto and Kat for?"

Dread smiled. "Well, there must be _some_ diversity within the cultural blood stream to continue the line; Ms. Ryan is quite a beautiful woman with I'm sure a healthy sexual keenness." Psycho chuckled. "And I will enhance my "army" with Dr. Martinez intelligence while they are being educated. And with your nano-probes, they will have ultimate strength. So, you see, Mr. Steel, I have thought of everything in my new world."

Max grit his teeth angrily. "No way! _Never!_" Especially at the thought of Dread using Kat at a concubine. And if Dread planned to use Berto to enhance his clones' intelligence, then Berto would forever be encased in Infinity Ice and used only as a catheter, kept alive by mechanical means. He pointed the rifle at Dread. He didn't believe he was about to say this but… "I'd rather see them dead!"

Psycho's laser sliced the rifle in half and Max dropped it. Psycho laughed; Dread chuckled. "Thank you, my friend," he said to Psycho.

"You're welcome," Psycho returned.

"You're only one man, Mr. Steel," Dread continued. "And this time, it appears, and how cliché to say it, that N-Tek's greatest super agent won't be able to save the day this time."

A sudden blast of electrical current came from behind Psycho, sending him into convulsions on the floor. Tempest was on his feet, his two lighting rods crossed, his chest severely bleeding from Dread's wound. He was breathing heavily. "You betrayed me, John Dread," he said. "I was paid to do a job and I did it. Steel, I have no grudge against you personally. Take your friends and get out of here! I'll take care of this traitor!"

"But the self-destruct?"

Tempest clanged his lightning rods together and fired a surge of electricity into the communications / operations centre, and electricity danced along the controls, shorting them out.

**SELF-DESTRUCT DEACTIVATED,** the computer said.

Max raised his brow impressed, smiling. "Cool! You'd be handy to have in a blackout."

Dread fired several shots at Tempest and a lucky shot knocked one lightning rods out of his hand, he then fled up the ramp into the aircraft. Max ran after him and ducked just as he entered up the ramp from a shot fired at him. The laser bolt ricocheted off the edge of the doorway. The capsules with Berto and Kat had already been loaded and Dread now stood between them, backing to the cockpit.

"No where to go, Dread," Max said, clutching fists at his side. "You're going to pay this time!"

"On the contrary, Mr. Steel. It is _you_ who will pay."

Dread fired a bolt at one of the self-contaminate capsules bursting the hose with oxygen to Berto's capsule. Dread then ran and locked himself into the cockpit.

Max leaped to Berto's capsule. "_Nooo!_" he shouted.

He tried to close the breach, squeezing the hose together, but to no avail. If he didn't get Berto out quickly, he'd suffocate. But if he punched the glass, the Infinity Ice would spread.

No, he couldn't use Berto here…not after everything they'd been through!

**To be continued…**


	24. Death And Rebirth

**CHAPTER 24 - "DEATH AND REBIRTH"**

Max watched helplessly as the vital meter to Berto's capsule dropped dramatically. Without the self-sustaining oxygen of the capsule, Berto was going to die! But there was nothing he could do, not without releasing the Infinity Ice into the cabin of the plane and have it spread throughout Dread's lair. All he wanted was to smash the glass and pull Berto out of there, but he had to suppress the instinct. Releasing the Infinity Ice out into the Arizona Desert would be suicide for everything and there would nothing to stop it - he had no Infinity Fire to counteract Infinity Ice, for which Berto had created.

When the oxygen level read zero, the meter let out a long successive beep. And Berto Martinez was dead.

Max held a hand over his eyes withholding tears.

He had known Berto for a number of years, even before Berto had became an N-Tek agent, working for N-Tek's communications department, and that was before he knew Berto had been recruited after he finished college at eighteen with a doctorate in neuro-science and even a second doctorate in bio-technology.

The kid had been a genius designing hardware and wet-wired systems for N-Tek's espionage uses in the field and even N-Tek entire security network and satellite surveillance systems.

Josh had merely known him as a CSR agent for when people called into N-Tek, the sports company, for product information, until Josh's accident turned him into Max Steel. It was then he learned N-Tek's true secret nature as an agency to defend the world against terrorist threats.

When the true war with Dread began to _flourish_, Max was called into action as N-Tek's top agent using his skills as a sports enthusiast and daredevil against Dread's continuous band of super-villain hirelings with Berto barking in his ear, aiding him, using his new powers to fight terrorism…

But now that was at an end. Dread had finally managed hurt him in a way that no physical wound could. In a cowardly act, he murdered Berto Martinez just so he could escape Max's grasp. And yet, after this, there was no where John Dread could hide now that Max could get to him! This Max vowed.

Max wiped unwilling tears from his eyes as his emotions were suddenly filled with unbridled anger. He was an N-Tek agent, but Berto had been his friend, and enough was enough with John Dread! "I'm sorry, Berto," he said sadly. "Your death won't be in vain. I promise."

He pressed his bio-link and turbo'd up, and then turned towards the cockpit door. The door was only two inches of steel, but it would be like tissue paper to Max Steel - and he punched a hole through the middle, pulling the piece he had in his hand through to his side. A shot was fired through the hole and Max ducked, but even laser bolts wouldn't stop him from getting to this son-of-bitch now!

Using both hands, Max ripped the door completely off its hinges, then quickly side-stepped away from another shot. Throwing the door to the side of the cockpit, using his specially adaptive eyes, he saw John Dread's heart rate increase and finger about to depress the laser's trigger for another shot. But Max snatched the weapon away from the man and rolled it up into a ball, dropping it at the villain's feet in a useless iron heap.

Dread put up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Come, come, Mr. Steel - anger doesn't befit an N-Tek agent of your calibre. Besides, causalities are the thing of war." Dread appeared psychopathic, that death meant nothing to him.

"Not cold-blooded murder!" Max shouted a retort.

He grabbed Dread by the collar and lifted him off his feet and shoved him against the cockpit windshield rather hard, spider-cracking it. The villain bumped his head and cried out in pain, his dark glasses that were atypical of his character dropped to the floor, and Max was finally able to look into Dread's eyes - and saw fear. Max's emotions rose high and he felt his nano-probes fueling with an inane want to kill this man. It was as if the nano-probes felt Max;s pain and wanted John Dread dead for murdering their creator.

Max wanted to snap John Dread's neck and how he would bask in the man's death after what he just did and after everything that he has done up until now. Max could do the world a great justice.

But he didn't.

The day he dawned the mantle of Max Steel he took an oath - to serve his station with law and justice, not to act like a vigilante.

But he was so tempted.

He brought Dread back down.

"It ends here, Dread! I should kill you right here, right now!"

"But you won't, Mr. Steel," Dread said, a smug smile on his face. "And you know why? Because you're a good little N-Tek agent. Rather than killing me, you'll instead send me to jail - "

Max gritted his teeth, then delivered a hard, right-cross to Dread's face. Dread spit blood, a stream dripping from the side of his mouth.

"How's that for an _instead_?"

He then raised Dread into the air, his anger overwhelming him and accidentally cracked Dread's head against the roof of the cockpit. The impact knocked Dread immediately unconscious and Max dropped the man in a heap to the floor. He checked for a pulse, unfortunately Dread was still alive. But when he awoke, he'll have one massive headache.

He's probably get _majorly_ disciplined for this, but he didn't care. The man had it coming.

Max dropped down into the pilot's chair and stared out of the cockpit window at the Arizona Desert beyond with a retrospective glare. It was over. But he felt that his efforts had been in vain. He had once again saved the world from one of Dread's threats, but the price had been too high.

Berto Martinez - Dr. Berto Martinez, and one of his best friends - was dead.

He gave a brief look at Dread, then back through to the cargo hold where he saw Kat's capsule still operational. He ventured over to it and rubbed a bit of frost from the surface to gaze down at her face. He dreaded having to tell her about Berto.

He heard the sound of helicopters and looked out the cockpit window.

As he had suspected, N-Tek had been monitoring the area and now they had arrived. Good old Berto. Even with half of N-Tek destroyed by Tempest's missile attack, he knew the young genius had built a secondary command operations centre just in case. With the second command ops, Jefferson probably used it to track Max to this location using sophisticated methods that Max couldn't fathom to comprehend. SWAT teams were exiting three helicopters and storming the aircraft hanger with weapons in hand, taking out any foot soldier who dared fire at them.

He exited the aircraft and stood on the ramp as the agents stormed the hanger bay with Jefferson in tow, he himself surrounded by an entourage of agents as protection. With him was also Dr. Sykes and Tommy. Max was glad they were okay.

"Restrain Psycho immediately," Jefferson ordered.

Psycho was fitted with a restraining chip that inhibited neurological function to his augmented appendage and his cybornetic facial implants, in essence keeping him unconscious. He was dragged away to one of the helicopters. Electrix carried by Tempest was escorted cooperatively by a collection of agents out to another helicopter. Max knew Tempest could escape at anytime, but he seemed more worried for Electrix than his own freedom, even the laser wound Dread gave him didn't seem to faze him. He would not leave her side and demanded medical attention for her. In turn, he would go with N-Tek without a fight.

Max watched this all happen in a daze. His mind was still on Berto.

"Dread's in the cockpit of the aircraft. I nearly killed him. I came within an inch of murdering that bastard!" he said without his father asking.

He came down the ramp while two agents ran up after Max told them about the capsules.

"Are you okay, son?"

"No Dad, I'm not. Berto is -"

One agent appeared at the top of the ramp before Max could finish.

"Sir, two capsules filled with Infinity Ice. We found Agent Ryan and Dr. Martinez," he said with a look of relief. But then he turned and said, "What?" to the other agent when the agent said something to him out of sight. The agent's expression then turned glum when he looked back to them. "One casualty, sir," the man said as if apologetically. "The capsule with Dr. Martinez…"

"Berto's dead," Max finished for the man. "I couldn't help him, Dad. But if I broke the capsule, the Infinity Ice would spread."

Jefferson put a hand on Max's shoulder. "You did the right thing, son."

An elevator lift at the far end of the hanger bay opened and two agents pushed Vitriol out of the lift, catching Max and Jefferson's sudden attention. Agents had ventured down to the lower levels, they were now securing all levels of Dread's secret lair.

"Hey! Watch it! I have no arms! If I fall, you'll have to pick he up!" the villain scolded.

"Shut-up! And move it!" an agent ordered.

More agents ventured up the aircraft ramp to help with the first two and a minute later they carried an unconscious John Dread out, his body completely limp, his face beginning to swell with a nasty bruise with blood dripping from his mouth.

"Son, you said you didn't?"

"I said I didn't kill him, Dad. I never said anything about beating the crap out of him." Max then said to one of the agents carrying Dread, "He'll need medical attention for a head wound. He somehow bumped his head in there." Max shrugged his shoulders. Both agents smiled, and carried Dread off.

After Dread, came one of the capsules situated on an electro-magnetic repulsor lift. It was Kat Ryan.

Dr. Ben Sykes came to stand next to Jefferson after he left Tommy with a N-Tek agent on one of the helicopters. Sykes immediately went to the capsule, wiped off some frost from the window. But he seemed to smile at something…

"Dr. Sykes," Jefferson Smith said. "Can you free Kat from the Infinity Ice?"

"There will be no need for that, Jeff," Sykes said.

"Explain."

"John Dread may be smart, but even intelligent people can be tricked once in a while. What you see in these capsules are merely shells, there's no brain activity. But John Dread didn't know that." Max and Jefferson looked at the other confused. "Technology is a wonderful and yet scary thing," Sykes continued. "I succeeded in cloning your friends because I was being watched, Max. John Dread was monitoring my progress, but I managed to put these shells into Infinity Ice during a moment of surveillance blindness and told John Dread that these were the real agents, erstwhile they were not. With Dr. Martinez's help, and using this complex's own camera network against itself - looping the feed - I put both your friends into stasis pods and hid them in my laboratory in the lower levels, hoping for an opportunity would arise later for to us to make an escape. You will find them in a storage room behind a wall in the lab."

Jefferson Smith pointed at a group of agents. "You four, go with Max and Dr. Sykes and find Agent Ryan and Dr. Martinez, _now_," he ordered.

They all did as ordered, and Max gave a wide smile to his father. Jefferson returned it. "Go."

Max nodded and followed Sykes and the agents into the elevator and down to the lower levels and found Berto and Kat in stasis pods behind a wall in Sykes' lab just where he said.

Max was so elated he could just hug Dr. Ben Sykes. But much like decompression sickness - or more known as "the bends" - the levels in the stasis pods would have to lowered slowly so they would awaken with no ill-affects. Max was not normally an impatient guy, but at this moment, he found himself as one.

Max was just glad that his friend - _friends_ - were okay, even if it would take a little more time to see them _alive_ again.

**To be continued…**


	25. The Nursery

**CHAPTER 25 - "THE NURSERY"**

It would take several minutes - perhaps up to an hour - to lower the readings of the stasis pods to optimum levels before Dr. Sykes could revive Berto and Kat. They were in hyper-sleep, and much like regular sleep, it was best to bring them out gradually, so not to startle their nervous systems.

Max left it up to the doctor. But he found it frightening that the doctor could clone his friends in such a short time with accelerated growth hormones. How on earth was he - if able - going to including Berto and Kat's neuro energy into their clones? It was something only of science fiction, and he left it there.

But he was conflicted one issue. On one hand, he was glad that Dr. Sykes had tricked Dread into giving Dread "empty" shells, but then on the other hand, he felt like kicking the man in the teeth for violating the sanctity of the individuality of his friends, regardless of choice. He knew Berto would be fascinated by his clone, despite dead - it's vital signs flat-lined when Dread shot the oxygen hose to the self-sustaining capsule - but Kat would be furious and would demand her clone be destroyed immediately.

He was elated to find his friends alive. After this whole mission, he was afraid one of them would die - as did one agent at the Sykes home where Max fought Vitriol, and where Psycho kidnapped Tommy. Max knew the man would receive an honorable funeral when everything settled down, and Max would be there.

"Dr. Sykes, I just want to thank you for everything you've - "

Max stopped, his super-hearing triggered. He heard a small but low cry. Not a person in distress, but something else...

"What is it, Mr. Steel?" Dr. Sykes asked.

Max wandered around the room, but found himself heading out towards the inner lab as he followed the sound. "I don't know, but I hear something..."

He stopped at a far wall, and the crying continued even louder.

"Is there another room adjacent to this lab, doctor?" he asked.

"Not that I'm aware," Sykes replied, coming to stand next to him. Sykes told the agents to keep an eye on the stasis pods and to inform him when they were ready to activated to let Dr. Martinez and Kat Ryan out.

Max knew that the doctor was telling the truth. Normally he could tell just by the tone of a person's voice if someone was lying to him. The doctor's pupils didn't dilate either indicating untruthfulness.

"John Dread placed me in this lab and told me what he wanted done, but as soon I succeeded in one thing, he would remove it and put me on another project, but all associative to my skills."

"I believe you, doctor. But there's another room behind this wall."

Max felt the wall, but couldn't feel a switch or trigger, and his infra-red vision didn't detect a heat source of any electrical door either. So the door to this room was somewhere else. So he turbo'd up and punched through it, ripping the wall for enough of an opening to walk through.

There was indeed another room beyond the lab, illuminated in bright lights and filled with electronics and… a nursery? The room was filled with baby cribs, all with infants.

Max walked into the room and examined one of the infants. Sykes examined another one.

There must have been thirty babies, all with electronic monitors, feeding tubes, and other items attached to them. And at the centre of the room was standing floor to ceiling an incubation chamber with something or someone floating inside buoyant medical fluid. This someone was curled up in a fetal position, was naked, had blond hair with a breathing mask around its mouth and nose, and a feeding tube. It was a boy.

"Dr. Sykes..." Max said.

Dr. Sykes came over to the chamber and examined the controls monitoring it. He brought up details of what this chamber comprised of - a boy, cloned. "According to the information, this boy is only three days old."

"He looks ten, doctor."

"Accelerated growth," Sykes explained. "And there is a variance in this child that the others are missing according to their monitors, keeping this one healthy. These are probably the prodigy of Dread's engineering, his super-soldiers he hoped to educate to infiltrate world governments."

"What's wrong with the others?"

"The monitors all indicate a genetic flaw. Some of them are dead, the one you hear now is probably crying because it is in pain. But it won't be for much longer."

"What can we do?"

Sykes shook his head. "Hope for a quick and humane death."

Max felt sorry for the child and all those that Dread had brought into the world just to die, but he had to stay focused. "What's the variance in this one that's keeping it alive?"

"Just barely," the doctor said. His hands danced over the keyboard of the controls. "It appears to be infused with a foreign anti-body with an intelligence I've never seen."

A picture appeared on a monitor in the control panel with a live view of this anti-body swimming around killing virus-like cells, but the virus seemed to be winning as the anti-bodies were losing intensity.

Max nodded understandingly. "Berto could probably make better sense of this, but I think I've seen this before. They're nano-probes. Dread probably figured he'd infuse this clone with my DNA and nano-probe's because the others were failures. But he neglected on thing. Like the nano-probes swimming in my body, I need a daily dose of Transphasic energy to remain alive to feed them. These nano-probes in this child are starving to death, using every bit of energy to do what they've been programmed to do - but losing the battle. Jefferson - my Dad - should see this." Something caught Max's eye about the clone. "Dr. Sykes, this child looks like your son Tommy."

Sykes looked up from the computer controls and gazed at the face. But he didn't seem surprised. "Yes, he does." He looked back down at monitor and keyed in something, bringing up the vitals of the child on the transparent glass chamber. "He also looks like you when you were Tommy's age."

Max gave Sykes a sharp glance. "Me? When I was ten? I don't understand?"

"Remember when I told you Jefferson and I've known each other years back?" Max nodded. "Well, I also knew your parents. There wasn't anyone who worked for N-Tek who didn't."

"Forgive me for sounding rhetorical, but you knew my parents?"

"I was much like young Dr. Martinez when I worked for N-Tek, working under John Dread when he was N-Tek's director. But I decided to move into a more diverse path of biological and technological engineering, but I still worked for N-Tek from time to time on certain projects. Which is probably why Dread kidnapped me, to use my skills and knowledge to further his plans."

"That I can understand. But why does this cloned child, Tommy and me at ten years old, fit into this?"

"This child was probably cloned from your DNA, extracted when you were captured, which is why it has the nano-probes. And as for Tommy and yourself, Tommy is adopted - which he knows - and over the years, Jefferson and I have suspected he may related to you somehow."

"You're not making any sense, doctor. I'm an only child. I don't have any siblings. And my parents died before I was ten years old."

"I can't give you an answer to your questions, Mr. Steel. But perhaps when Dr. Martinez awakes and is refreshed, he might be able to provide some assistance."

* * *

In the thirty minutes it took for the stasis pods to open and to allow Kat and Berto to awaken, the hanger bay had been cleared of all Dread's troops, minions and even Dread himself, and only one helicopter remained. Berto and Kat had been taken up the hanger bay and were given blankets and a hot beverage to stabilize their body temperatures. In stasis, both their temperature and breathing were reduced to bare minimum, and even with the pod levels at optimum level to release them, their bodies still had to regulate themselves.

During this time, they were both filled in on what had happened since they were put into stasis by Dr. Sykes, to protect them up to now, and against Max's better judgment, they were also told of their clone duplicates. And as Max thought, Berto was fascinated in the science of it, but Kat felt utterly violated and demanded her clone he destroyed immediately, even though it was just a shell without brain activity. Berto wished _his_ was still alive to examine.

Max told Berto how he thought it had been _him_ and almost killed Dread because of it.

Returning to the nursery, Berto helped Dr. Sykes examine further the child in the incubation chamber, and they confirmed Max's worse fear - that the DNA _was_ a clone of him, or rather of his alter ego Josh McGrath, and confusingly, also of Tommy Sykes.

Tommy was waiting back in the hanger bay with Kat - while Max, Sykes, Berto and Jefferson, with other agents secured the lab and adjacent nursery.

Max had one question: Why?

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Jefferson asked.

"100% sir," Berto answered, then turned to Max. "Max, this child, and the small sample of blood we took from Tommy just before coming back down here - all have the same genetic code, with slight variances in each. However, near impossible to duplicate unless with genetic manipulation or..." Berto and Sykes looked at each to confirm, "...natural birth from a family member, like that from a sibling."

"But I have no siblings," Max said.

"Then it appears we have a mystery on our hands," Jefferson said.

"Berto, explain to me how would it be possible for a natural birth? I would need to have been _like_ twelve for Tommy to be naturally grown, to be ten years old _now_. And I know that didn't happen."

Berto shrugged. "When Dread awakens from his injuries, we should ask him if he knows anything," he. "We should also check adoption records; see if we can locate Tommy's biological parents."

"Wait, that makes no sense," Max put in. "For the sake of argument, let's just say, Tommy and I do have the same parents - that would mean he is a clone or was grown via infertilization methods, and therefore, has no real parents to speak of. If _this_ is the case, Tommy could be my little brother - that someone, somewhere down the line, got a hold of my DNA ten or so years ago and grew him, then put him up for adoption, where you and your wife, Dr. Sykes, adopted him as an infant without any past records."

"From what I remember," Dr. Sykes said, "a woman brought her baby to the orphanage one winter night, and he wasn't given the name Tommy afterwards because he didn't have a name. This is what the adoption agency told us. My wife and I couldn't have children, so Tommy was a blessing."

"So, what should we do with _this _child?" Max wondered, gazing into the chamber. "Take him out?"

"No need," Dr. Sykes said, and Max had a dreadful feeling. "Despite this child having your nano-probes, he has no brain activity. It appears John Dread was still experimenting. His plans had not gone to fruition."

"So all these children…?" Max looked around the nursery. Some children already passed on, others were near death, one or two were crying for help...

"Won't survive," Sykes said flatly.

**To be continued…**


	26. Revelations And Family

**CHAPTER 26 - "REVELATIONS AND FAMILY"**

It took a retinal scan and a hand print to allow Max and Jefferson to enter into the maximum security prison complex just to see John Dread.

John Dread smirked as they approached his cell, situated in its own isolated room surrounded by wall mounted gun turrets with motion-sensor lasers. The villains cell was circular with energy bars and high voltage current with CCTV 24/7. It was quite a lot just to keep John Dread in prison, but after his latest scheme, N-Tek and the United States government thought the cost was worth it.

Dread sat on a bunk. Next to him was a small shelf with a few books he had requested to read.

Max crossed his arms across his chest and eyed Dread with utter disdain. He had had a conversion with Jefferson just before entering the complex about keeping his cool, but the moment he saw Dread his emotions began to flare to boiling point. The memory of all those children's deaths haunting him.

"Good evening, Mr. Steel, and my old _friend_, Jefferson Smith. I trust you are well?"

"Wipe that smirk off your face, you bastard! Those children were innocent!" Max said angrily, getting right to the point.

Jefferson tried to calm him down.

"Progress, my dear _Mr. _Steel," John Dread replied. "Perhaps someday the process will be perfected."

"Over my dead body!"

"Max! Calm down!" Jefferson demanded. "That's an order!"

Max's eyes narrowed, but he complied with his father's order. He took a deep breath. He was an agent with N-Tek and as such had to acquiesce to protocol, even though his adopted father was its director.

But he had to say one other thing.

"We should just execute him _now_, with all due respect, Director," Max said, speaking professionally. Despite present company knew his real identity, those who where monitoring the cameras watching Dread did not, and he had to refer to his father's title. "Do the world a favor - for crimes against humanity."

"That will be _enough_, Max!"

"Yes, do calm yourself, Mr. Steel," Dread said. "It is quite unprofessional - and stop brooding. They were the first-line of my experiments. I knew from the start all those children were expendable."

Jefferson put a hand up before Max could bark a retort, his anger showing. "You have been questioned, John?" Jefferson asked. "Do you have an answer for us?"

"About the child - Thomas Sykes?" Dread smiled. The villain appeared to muse. "You both have eyes but remain blind."

Max clenched fists at his side. "Forget the riddles, Dread. Just answer the question. Is Tommy Sykes a clone?"

"If he were, he would be a successful one - yes? But no, he is not...well, at least not one of mine. Mine are all dead."

Max gritted his teeth, emotions still hot about all those dead children.

"But a gentlemen never reveals the affairs of others," Dread said further. "To my understanding, he is not a clone but one brought into this world by natural means. And he looks like..." Dread tilted his head slightly, smirking broadly. "Well, we all know whom the boy resembles, don't we?"

"Affairs?" Jefferson asked.

Dread looked at Jefferson. "Come now, my old friend. Are you _both_ still being so naïve of the facts put before you? Or do you need it spelled out?"

Max kept his eyes narrowed, but he took a moment to look inward, recalling the last couple of weeks, and everything he had experienced - everything that he could recall that was of immediate relevancy. He played back all that he could vividly remember including Dread's psychological warfare ploy.

"But, you were feeding me a lie?" Max looked at Jefferson. "When I was strapped down to that medical table just before you extracted a sample of my nano-probes. What you _said_ was a lie!"

Dread remained straight-faced. "Was I lying?" The villain seemed to recall the conversion.

"What is it Max? What are you referring to?"

"In my report, when Dread and Psycho had me bound to a medical table, there was something I omitted because I thought it was just sheer fabrication. I thought Dread was just playing with my mind." Max was retrospective. He thought things out, but the conclusion he came to was unbelievable! "He told me Psycho was my brother, and that you knew about it - that Psycho was cloned from my DNA at some point."

Jefferson signed, then nodded. "I'm sorry, but it's true - it was hidden from you to protect you."

Max was shocked. "You knew? How many other people know?"

"This isn't the time and place for this, Max. We'll discuss this later."

"Indeed, the truth is rather disturbing. I trust you two will have plenty to talk about?" Dread laughed.

Max smiled crookedly. "Do you really think you psychological games will continue to work on me, Dread?" Max shrugged. "I found it rather obvious," he lied. "I'm not just some dumb college jock, you know. Appearances can be deceiving, as you once said to me."

Max's words appeared to make both Dread and Jefferson revel in shock. "You knew?" Jefferson said.

"I suspected," Max lied again. He did not want to reveal how hurt he felt in front of them. "So Psycho is my brother, therefore…Tommy is my nephew. One question then: Who is his mother?"

Dread shrugged. "That's best a question for Tommy's father. And I applaud you, Mr. Steel. You've learned to hide your feelings under a closely knitted veil, but not that well. I know when someone is lying. I was N-Tek's director for nearly fifteen years and I have a degree in psychology. I'm not stupid."

"Lying?" Jefferson said, looking at Max.

"Max Steel was fishing for information, Jefferson," Dread said. "He had no idea Psycho was his brother. And he's attempting to hide his pain of your betrayal. I trust this information will provide a wound that will _never_ heal."

And Dread laughed, more sadistically.

Max frowned hard. Despite his attempt to hide his pain, John Dread was right. He was both shock and hurt that Jefferson didn't tell him…

He turned and stormed out of the cell, Dread's laughter echoing in his hyper-sensitive ears. It was as if the Devil himself was laughing.

* * *

Interrogating Psycho proved futile.

His augmented arm had been dismantled, so without it he wasn't much of a threat. But he was still chained to a wall in his own maximum security cell in a different prison than Dread, and one for the mentally and criminally insane. And if Psycho tried to bite through the chains, he'd likely get the shock of his life - more than a 1,000,000 volts worth.

But the villain said nothing than collected DNA hadn't already done so.

Indeed, Josh and Psycho were related - Psycho was Josh's cloned "brother". Dread had at some point stolen some of Josh's DNA and cloned Psycho with accelerated growth hormones, and then Psycho augmented himself into the psychopathic monster that he was for his own reasons.

Who Tommy's mother was remained a mystery - Psycho said nothing of who she may be or a name, and investigations into the adoption agency resulted in nothing - the agency had a mysterious fire ten years prior that burned it to the ground. No records survived.

But it was best for all concerned that Tommy didn't know or was told about his or Josh's relation. Why ruin the boy's happiness? N-Tek would keep a close eye on the boy in case just in case.

Despite the truth revealed, Psycho was no brother of Josh McGrath. Josh absolutely believed this. Biologically, Psycho was a physiological admonition that by all accounts should be destroyed. But how could he sanction the killing of his nephew's father - and his own brother - even though he was a cold-bloodied, mindless killer? He couldn't, and neither could N-Tek.

Psycho would be studied. Period.

As for Jefferson lying to him about Psycho, he left it at that. Josh knew _he_ was only being protected, much like him not telling Tommy about who his real father.

Appearances are deceiving and ignorance is indeed bliss, as they say.

It was wrong. The world deserved better and Tommy deserved better. But Tommy was better off with Dr. Ben Sykes as his adopted father.

What was to happen if Tommy began to ask questions about his real father when he grew up, no one knew? And would Tommy start to develop emotional instability that his father possessed? It was said a stable environment produced a stable child. And Josh just hoped that's what happened with Tommy in years to come.

Josh sat in quiet resolution reflecting on recent weeks in his temporary quarters in N-Tek headquarters, while construction efforts were being afforded to rebuilding the destruction Tempest delivered when he pummeled the island with a missile attack. Tempest was locked up, and medically cleared after Dread's laser blast hit him in the chest in an attempt to kill him; as was Electrix - and each of their powers suppressed by allotted means. Vitriol was also locked up and given his arms back, but drained of plasma.

Josh was supposed to be finishing off a paper on the War of 1812 that his Prof, thanks to his father, gave him more time to write, but he couldn't concentrate on it. All he could think about was how his life - his family history - had been irrevocably changed. And now that he had a family, a living relative, a nephew, albeit from a brother who, he knew his life would never be the same. Much like how he felt when he was first told - but didn't believe it at the time - from Dread and Psycho and locked in the prison cell deep beneath Dread's lair.

He shook his head. He didn't want to think about that, but that's all he could think of.

"Penny for your thoughts, Hermano?" Berto's face blinked onto a monitor above Josh's work desk station. The young genius was frowning. "Your psychosomatic wave variances are all over the map."

Josh eyed him. He was glad that that was all Berto could _read _from him, and not his inner thoughts, but with Berto monitoring his vital signs 24/7 - it was hard to hide anything from his friend/colleague.

"Just thinking, Berto," Josh said plainly. "Nothing _too_ dramatic for your sensors to pick up, I guess?"

"No, but some of your bio-metric readings are low. I thought there might be something wrong?"

"Why would there be anything wrong?"

"Well, if _I_ had the last couple of weeks you've had, I would be melancholy too."

"I'm not sad, Berto. Just reflecting on things."

There was a long silence. "I'll leave you to your paper then."

"No, don't go."

Suddenly, the door to his quarters swished open and Kat stood on the other end. Josh smiled. No sooner had they returned to N-Tek Island, she demanded her clone be incinerated, and it was. It was nice to feel one had their individuality in Kat and Berto's case with their clones destroyed, but for Josh, he'd never feel that self-assurance again with Psycho.

"Need a friend?" Kat asked.

Josh smiled. "I could use two."

"You have them, Hermano," Berto said on screen. "And family."

"At least I got to say good-bye to him," Josh said, referring to Tommy.

"Jefferson and N-Tek will be keeping tabs on the boy," Kat said, crossing the room and sitting down on a couch next to a wall.

"It just seems so crazy, that someone would -"

"Don't say it." Kat put up a hand. "It gives me the creeps just thinking about it."

"Maybe it wasn't willful?" Berto suggested.

"Oddly enough, _that_ thought does make me feel slightly better," Josh said. "If it was consensual, I wonder why Tommy was put up for adoption?"

"Perhaps to protect the child from his father?" Berto offered. "To give him a future. Perhaps Tommy's real mother saw the truth in Psycho, regardless how they managed to hook-up. Besides, Dr. Sykes has done a wonderful job with Tommy."

Josh smiled. "Yeah, he has. But eventually every adopted child wonders about their biological parents. Tommy will be no different when he grows up. And could he handle the truth?"

"Only time will tell, Hermano. But it shouldn't worry you. You'll be there to protect him, from a distance of course."

Josh frowned. "Yeah, from a distance."

"It's to protect him, Josh," Kat said. "If anyone from the upper echelon ever found out Psycho sired a child naturally, Tommy's future would be ruined. That's why only a select few will be told."

"Forever watched," Josh murmured. He knew Berto had heard him, but no reply came. "It makes sense, and yet..."

His voice trailed off, because he knew Jefferson was right, and Josh didn't want anyone suspecting anything either - if he continuously hung around the boy too much, despite Tommy now confirmed as his nephew.

Psycho knew that his son lived, and perhaps he was the one who destroyed the adoption agency years back when he learned about his son? Hoping to kill him? But Psycho never admit to it. Little did Psycho know at the time that _his_ son had been adopted by a loving couple only days before the fire, and indeed by unknown means, Psycho must have learned of Tommy later on…

Josh figured Tommy was in fact targeted by Psycho with Dr. Sykes at the Sykes' home. And perhaps that clone of himself and Tommy was Psycho's way of keeping his son - infusing him with powers, so father and son could wage ruin on the world, as demented, psychopaths? But without T-Juice, it all fell apart. The nano-probes devoured the cloned child from the inside out, trying to survive.

Josh was just glad the child had no brain activity to feel that pain. Berto had said that the reason for no brain activity in the clones of himself, Kat and Tommy, was likely Dread wanted them to become fully developed before copying the brain energy of them to the clones and them manipulating them however Dread pleased. Then killing off the original hosts.

It was a plan that almost worked. _Almost_.

Before Max had said good-bye to Tommy, and Tommy thanked him for saving his and his father's lives, Max had been invited to watch one of Tommy's little league baseball games, when available. Max accepted, but didn't know if he would, for said reasons.

Max _had_ revealed to Tommy about the nano-probes swimming inside him and how he became an agent for N-Tek, but he never told Tommy his true identity. So Tommy had no idea who Max Steel really was. And Josh figured that was best. But maybe he could grow a beard with his Max Steel disguise and take in a game one day. He also still had to ask Berto why he would program the Max disguise with a beard augment?

"Oh," Berto said, "Jefferson wanted you to have this. Dr. Sykes scanned it and emailed it to him." On the screen popped up a picture of Tommy, outfitted in a blue and white little league uniform with cap and bat. Tommy was expressing a broad smile. "Some anonymous sponsor donated new equipment and other items to Tommy's little league team," Berto said with a smile.

Josh smiled, knowing it could only be one person who would do such a thing after the truth was finally revealed - Jefferson. And Josh would have to thank him.

He printed off a copy of the scanned photo and looked at it. Tommy wanted to be as big a star like his hero Alex Gonzales when he grew up, playing in the major leagues. Well, after everything that had occurred in recent weeks, Josh knew nothing was impossible. And Josh wished his nephew luck.

But above all else, he, too, will be watching and protecting Tommy.

Josh had defeated a storm fury of villain's against impossible odds and discovered a shocking "family" secret. He didn't know what the future would hold from it, but he vowed he would be ready for the next fight - that he would continue battling evil wherever it reared its ugly head, protect all those whom he cared for, and give aid to the world wherever it was needed, the best way he could...

_The Max Steel way_.

Over the next couple of weeks, he had thought about it - but that nightmare about a shadowy threat never returned. Perhaps in defeating Dread's plans, somehow put that dreaded "feeling" of something ominous was about to happen to rest. Dreams were a funny thing. They could express your fears even if you weren't consciously aware of them.

And, despite how unfathomable it sounded, perhaps he _was_ connected to Psycho in another way he couldn't explain. That Psycho somehow and unknowingly "fed" him an ominous feeling through a brotherly-bond, unconsciously preparing him, and telling him of what Dread had planned - with a need to protect his son?

But that was _impossible_?

**THE END…**


End file.
